Shaun Murphy faces Wu Yize in the final of the World Snooker Championship. Richard Mann gives his verdict.
Snooker betting tips: World Championship final
1.5pts Shaun Murphy to win the first session (1-8 frames) at 8/5 (BOYLE Sports)
A World Snooker Championship that has had just about everything now promises a final for the ages between Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize at the home of snooker, inside a theatre where history hangs in the air, the ghosts of Crucible past locked behind doors and seemingly never allowed to leave.
They keep telling us there is something different about this place, and sometimes we get tired of hearing it. But Saturday night once again hammered home the point that nowhere makes snooker quite like the Crucible Theatre.
Mark Allen will attest to that, and how well and quickly Wu can pick himself up from one of the most dramatic finishes most of us watching will have ever seen could decide whether he becomes world champion on Bank Holiday Monday or not.
The boy who seemingly feels no pressure, who floats round the table with a grace that sometimes feels like a better fit for The Royal Ballet, was put through the ringer and then some by Allen in what was undoubtably the toughest match of both men's careers.
It's hard to know just how Wu will react and recover, with his media duties having gone on until the early hours, but we only have to look at recent World Championship finals to know that last night's events place Murphy, who has been here many times before, at a significant advantage.
That's not to say Murphy enjoyed a stroll in the park on snooker's very own Super Saturday, with his 17-15 win over John Higgins a proper old-fashioned Crucible dust-up in its own right, but he was done before 6pm, afforded the chance to rest, regroup and recharge before going to bed. Wu's preparation for the biggest match of his life looked much different.
Shaun Murphy vs Wu Yize head-to-head
- Murphy: 1
- Wu: 1
Murphy vs Wu past meetings summary
- 2026 Masters: Wu 6-2 Murphy
- 2025 Xi'an Grand Prix: Murphy 5-4 Wu
12 months ago, Mark Williams won his own epic against Judd Trump on the same Saturday night, but he has since admitted to having been tired and jaded ahead of Sunday's quick turnaround. Lightning quick out of the traps, Zhao Xintong won the first session 7-1 and, in truth, had the match in his pocket from that point.
And it was a similar story in 2023 when Luca Brecel led a weary Mark Selby 6-2 after a similarly brisk start to their final. Selby had endured his own marathon the night before, Allen again the man to blame having dragged their semi-final late after Brecel had beaten Si Jiahui in the afternoon. Brecel led from start to finish to become world champion for the first time.
One thing in Wu's favour is his age. At 22, he has youth on his side. Old bones and minds don't recover quite the same as young ones, and I'd expect Wu to still be swinging hard come Monday evening. But it's what happens before then that appeals to me from a betting point of view.
Wu hasn't lost the first session of any of his four matches en route to the final, shared spoils with Mark Selby and Hossein Vafaei the worst he has managed. He led Allen 6-2 to once again demonstrate that he generally needs little warming up, though I don't think the Northern Irishman enjoyed a great run of the balls in that session.
But Murphy's own campaign has been typified by fast starts. He was 5-0 up on Xiao Guodong within the blink of an eye, and even when last year's champion Zhao Xintong raced into a 3-0 lead, Murphy ended that session 5-3 ahead. He also led Higgins 3-1 before drawing the first session of their match.
Murphy's long potting, always such a strength in over 20 years of excellence, has immediately put his opponents on the back foot, as has his refined, more aggressive break-off which puts the onus on his opponents if they were hoping to feel their way into frames.
'I'm here to play' is very much the Murphy message, and with Wu facing a huge challenge to get back to business barely 12 hours on from his energy-sapping victory over Allen, betting MURPHY TO LEAD AFTER THE FIRST SESSION (1-8 FRAMES) makes sense.
The other factor to consider is that while Murphy has been here before and got the t-shirt, winning in 2005 and now about to contest his fifth world final, this is completely new ground for Wu. Pressure might not seem to matter to the latest Chinese potting machine, but a few initial nerves would be understandable and something Murphy can look to exploit.
More broadly, it's hard to imagine a more appetising final. A clash of generations between one of Britain's modern-day greats and a young Chinese sensation Ronnie O'Sullivan has long tipped for stardom. Men at different stages of their careers, but two of the most devastating long potters and break-builders in the sport.
Both ultra-aggressive, this match is sure to be played the right way, on their own terms, and the fact Murphy and Wu are so aesthetically pleasing to watch only adds to the belief this will be a match to savour. The next two days, whichever camp you are in, promise so much.
How much Murphy can use his greater experience to his advantage, I'm not sure. By pricing Wu up as marginal favourite (10/11), bookmakers are clearly not convinced that will make a difference, and if there were any questions about his mettle, Wu surely answered them on Saturday night.
Shaun Murphy vs Wu Yize match betting odds
Odds via Sky Bet, correct at 08:15 BST
Moreover, the last 15 days have demonstrated that Wu is a player for all occasions. What separates Wu from others of his generation is that at such a young age, he is able to get down and dirty to win. That was the big question mark hanging over his head this year, but in beating Selby over three sessions at the Crucible, and Allen over four, he has answered them.
That's not to say that is Wu's path to victory – it is not – but Murphy will get no dice from going down that route, so must stick to his strengths. That will suit Murphy just fine, so expect fireworks.
Given that greater experience already discussed, not just of four previous Crucible finals, but also being a multiple Triple Crown winner and one of the most decorated players in recent times, it must be said that it is a little surprising Murphy isn't favourite, with even-money freely available.
This is one of the best players of the last 20 years up against a relative rookie, albeit a very good one, so he'd be right to believe in his own mind that he is favourite.
Wu was favoured by the market against Allen, which I disagreed with at the time, and still vindicated in saying given Allen missed match-ball and a host of other big chances to win.
Murphy will get his opportunities against Wu, and plenty of them, the result of that all-out attack approach from the Chinese which will always leave him open.
The question is whether Murphy can take those chances and make him pay in a way Allen, and Selby before him, couldn't. It's here where I would add just the slightest word of caution to potential Murphy backers. Flawless against Xintong, his victory over Higgins wasn't without fault, perhaps glossed over because the match itself was another treasure in a tournament that has been full of them.
Five centuries and a brilliant, nerveless run to the finish line goes some way to covering up the cracks – and Murphy did play wonderfully well in the final session of that match – but the fact Higgins found himself so close to the final himself was in part down to his opponent's own lack of ruthlessness in the balls, especially in the third session when he lost numerous frames from in front.
If Wu carries his form into the final, such mistakes won't go unpunished, and Murphy will need to display the same ruthless streak he showed when derailing Zhao in a performance that had Steve Davis waxing lyrical about.
My own belief is that he will do just that. Murphy has always looked to be a multiple world champion in waiting, and he would've beaten just about anyone other than a peak Selby in the final here in 2021 when going down 18-15 at the end of a terrific tussle.
That's not to downplay Wu's chance. It is clear that a star has been born, surely a world champion of the future, if not this weekend. I'd argue the market might just have things the wrong way round this time, but I couldn't argue my case with unwavering conviction, nor with enough passion to bet on it.
Expect two more days of brilliance from two of the best, four sessions of snooker no doubt filled with drama and that special sprinkling of Crucible magic. Expect a strong start from Murphy, and perhaps a strong finish from Wu on Monday.
This has been a World Championship to savour, full of twists and turns, and dramatic stories. One for the fans, all the more fitting given's last month's news that we'll be back at the Crucible next year and for many more years to come.
But for now, what a final we have in store.
Posted at 18:15 BST on 03/05/26
When is the World Snooker final?
Play begins at 13:00 BST on Sunday May 3. There are four sessions in total, the others beginning at 19:00 on Sunday, 13:00 on Monday, and 19:00 on Monday. The match is played over a best-of-35-frames format.
Where can I watch the final?
Every frame of the final is live on BBC and TNT Sports.
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