A 9-7 lead hints at a brewing upset, with the four-time world champion trailing; Wu Yize hopes for a shock victory.

On April 27 Beijing time, the Snooker World Championship quarter-finals are underway in full swing. A major upset is brewing as Chinese rising star Wu Yize challenges four-time world champion Selby. After two stages of play, Wu leads Selby 9-7 and is poised to upset his opponent and advance to the quarter-finals!

Selby, one of the "80s Five Tigers," is exceptionally steady in major tournaments, holding four world championship titles. However, his playing style is not aesthetically pleasing—weak in attack, strong in defense, and slow in cue action—which has drawn criticism from fans. Currently ranked seventh in the world, he has already secured the Champion of Champions and UK Championship titles this season, maintaining decent form. His second-round opponent is Chinese rising star Wu Yize, an aggressive player with razor-sharp accuracy. This season, Wu made a breakthrough by winning the International Championship, his first career title, and climbed into the top 16, directly qualifying for the Crucible. He is a highly promising Chinese player!

After the match began, Selby struck hard, displaying sharp accuracy and blasting two century breaks to take a dream 2-0 lead, which was somewhat intimidating. However, Wu quickly countered, combining defense and attack to sweep three consecutive frames and reverse the score to 3-2. Selby, unwilling to back down, produced two 60+ breaks, delivering a 3-1 surge to retake the lead at 5-4. Wu then used defensive play to launch another three-frame streak, overtaking again at 7-5—a truly roller-coaster contest. Subsequently, each player won two frames, bringing the score to 9-7 with Wu leading!

In the 16th frame, Wu seemed momentarily confused. He originally had a chance to lead 10-6 but inexplicably chose not to snuggle the black ball, instead playing other shots which left an opportunity for Selby to seize, narrowing the gap to 7-9—just two frames behind. This keeps the third stage highly suspenseful. Wu must fight for the opening frames, aiming to cut through the complexity swiftly. We hope Wu can upset his opponent; let's wait and see!

By Sports Story