"Wu's next?" is the question you might be asking after the 50th World Championship delivered a stylish Chinese winner for the second straight year.
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| Wu Yize of China poses with the World Snooker Championship trophy after defeating Shaun Murphy of England 18-17 in the final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, May 4, 2026. /VCG |
Wu Yize became the fourth straight first-time holder of the sport's greatest trophy with an epic 18-17 victory over 2005 champion Shaun Murphy, in only the fourth final-frame decider since Sheffield first staged the event in 1977.
The Lanzhou Lion with the ferocious long game has explained why he revels in the quieter moments of the sport, which saw him defeat Lei Peifan (10-2), Mark Selby (13-11), Hossein Vafaei (13-8) and Mark Allen (17-16) before toppling the freewheeling Murphy in a heavyweight title match.
"I wish to stay healthy and keep playing snooker," said Wu, speaking to media in China. "I hope it can always be by my side for the rest of my life.
"Loneliness is an integral part of snooker. It's a quiet sport that demands patience and reflection. I think it's truly a blessing to take it as a passion."
With a record 11 players from China appearing on the starting grid this year, and the world's second-most populous country of 1.4 billion boasting back-to-back Crucible winners, it is worth wondering if we are at the start of Chinese domination of the sport.
Indeed, in Wu and last year's world champion Zhao Xintong, China have two players inside the top five of the game's ranking for the first time.
Yet when you look at the changes in the rankings over the past decade, it is probably a case of the more things change, the more they stay the same.
While China can boast five players inside the top 16, there is hardly a revolution underway, certainly not in terms of the world rankings, which were first published 50 years ago.
Selby was world No. 1 after he defeated Ding Junhui 18-14 in the 2016 final in Sheffield, with Ding the only Chinese player inside the top 16.
Judd Trump, Murphy, Neil Robertson, John Higgins, Mark Allen, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams, Barry Hawkins and Kyren Wilson were all among the elite a decade ago.
And they remain inside the top 16 in 2026 with Stuart Bingham, Ricky Walden, Joe Perry, Marco Fu and Martin Gould the men to drop out, and Zhao, Wu, Xiao Guodong, Chris Wakelin and Si Jiahui the new arrivals.
It means a quarter of the top 16 are from China, but age is perhaps a better indicator of future patterns.
While Zhao, Wu and Si are all in their 20s, of the remaining 12 non-Chinese professionals, three are in their 50s, five their 40s and the other four in their 30s.
"Snooker is a very comprehensive and challenging sport," said Wu. "It can be different every time. You never get the same ball layout twice. I really enjoy that ever-changing feel of the game. "
The rankings feel like they are never-changing, appearing to move as quickly as Wu and Mark Allen's longest Crucible frame in Sheffield.
Time is probably on China's side, but as the rankings show, a similar narrative was also being spouted a decade ago.
World rankings 2015/16
1. Mark Selby (Eng)
2. Stuart Bingham (Eng)
3. Judd Trump (Eng)
4. Shaun Murphy (Eng)
5. Neil Robertson (Aus)
6. John Higgins (Sco)
7. Mark Allen (NI)
8. Ricky Walden (Eng)
9. Ding Junhui (Chn)
10. Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng)
11. Joe Perry (Eng)
12. Marco Fu (HK)
13. Mark Williams (Wal)
14. Barry Hawkins (Eng)
15. Martin Gould (Eng)
16. Kyren Wilson (Eng)
World rankings 2025/26
1. Judd Trump (Eng)
2. Neil Robertson (Aus)
3. Zhao Xintong (Chn)
4. Wu Yize (Chn)
5. John Higgins (Sco)
6. Shaun Murphy (Eng)
7. Mark Williams (Wal)
8. Kyren Wilson (Eng)
9. Mark Selby (Eng)
10. Barry Hawkins (Eng)
11. Xiao Guodong (Chn)
12. Mark Allen (NI)
13. Chris Wakelin (Eng)
14. Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng)
15. Ding Junhui (Chn)
16. Si Jiahui (Chn)
- DESMOND KANE
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