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The 22-year-old defeated Shaun Murphy 18-17 in a classic final on Monday at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, becoming the second world snooker champion from China, following Zhao Xintong’s breakthrough win last year.

Wu said he wants to put his family first with this money, after years of their sacrifice.

Moving to England at age 16 to pursue his professional career, Wu and his father lived on a tight budget. They shared a small, windowless room and slept in the same bed to make ends meet.

“Buy a house and take my parents travelling. There are many things I’d like to buy,” Wu told SportsBoom. “My parents are the true champions. They are the source of my strength. I love them so much.”

The final match against Murphy delivered breathtaking drama. Wu started strong, taking a 3-0 lead before Murphy tied the opening session 4-4.

On Sunday evening, Wu claimed six of nine frames to build a 10-7 advantage.

Murphy mounted a strong comeback on Monday. The match remained incredibly tight, eventually forcing a deciding frame at 17-17. This marked only the fourth time a World Snooker Championship final required a deciding frame.

Wu Yize and his family celebrate his 2026 World Snooker Championship title. Photo by AP

With £500,000 for the winner and £200,000 for the runner-up on the line, tension filled the arena. Murphy had the first chance in the final frame but was forced into a safety shot. Wu capitalized immediately, sealing his first world title in fashion with a tournament-winning break of 85.

At 22, Wu became the second-youngest world champion in history, only behind Stephen Hendry, who won his first title at 21. Wu also joins a rare group of players to win the championship without previously winning a match in the main draw at the Crucible.

After 17 tough days of competition, Wu said he had no plans for big celebrations. He stated his immediate priority was to recover from the intense tournament.

“I just want to have a good sleep. I was feeling the nerves throughout the full match, right now I just want to go to bed,” he said.

Chinese player wins world snooker championship, receives 676,000 USD