Wu Yize and Yuan Sijun are contesting the Shenzhen Open final after contrasting semi-final victories created an all-Chinese showdown for the £177,000 winner’s prize.
Reigning world champion Wu recovered from the loss of the opening frame to defeat Judd Trump 6-1, while Yuan survived a 6-5 contest with England’s Jimmy Robertson to reach the first ranking-event final of his career. The match at the Bao’an Sports Centre represents a major opportunity for both players, albeit from markedly different positions in their careers.
Wu is seeking a third title and is assured of moving to world number two after the final, according to BBC Snooker. Yuan, who started the tournament ranked 33rd, would move to the cusp of the top 16 with victory, BBC Snooker reported.
Wu responds after Trump takes early lead
Trump had arrived in the semi-finals after a 5-0 quarter-final win over Mark Selby, but could not sustain that form against Wu. BBC Snooker reported that Trump made a break of 77 to take the first frame before a series of errors gave Wu opportunities to establish control.
Wu then won six successive frames, compiling three breaks of 50 or more in what BBC Snooker characterised as a scrappy match before closing the win with a break of 110. The victory also reversed the outcome of their meeting at the same stage of the Shanghai Masters earlier in the year, when Trump had beaten Wu.
Wu’s Shenzhen run has also included a 5-4 quarter-final win over Shaun Murphy, Metro Snooker reported, giving the world champion a route featuring experienced opponents before his meeting with Trump.
Metro Snooker quoted Wu as saying his safety play had been the best of his professional career. He said he was satisfied to have delivered in an area of the game he said had not previously been his strength, even though he felt his scoring could have been more fluent.
Wu also acknowledged the significance of playing Yuan in the final, saying through World Snooker Tour that both players would give everything in pursuit of the trophy. Metro Snooker reported that this is Wu’s fifth ranking final, a marked contrast with Yuan’s first appearance at this stage.
Yuan survives Robertson’s late chance
Yuan’s route to the final was considerably more dramatic. He and Robertson traded the lead in their best-of-11 semi-final before Robertson forced a decider, which lasted 50 minutes and contained 177 points, according to BBC Snooker.
The pivotal sequence came when Robertson put Yuan in a difficult snooker on the last red. TNT Sports reported that Yuan made eight unsuccessful attempts to escape the position, conceding 41 points in fouls and falling 83-59 behind before he eventually got free.
Robertson then needed only a red and a colour to progress, but TNT Sports reported that he fouled from a snooker and left Yuan a straightforward opening. Yuan cleared to the pink to complete the turnaround and secure his place in the final.
The result came after an event in which, according to Metro Snooker, Yuan had beaten Fan Zhengyi, Zak Surety, Michael Holt and Robertson, all players ranked below him. That does not determine the final, but it underlines the different routes taken by the two finalists.
Yuan told World Snooker Tour that the pressure had affected him throughout the match and that reaching his first ranking final had brought together happiness and memories of difficult years. Metro Snooker reported that he had previously reached only one ranking semi-final after his notable 2018-19 season, at the 2025 German Masters.
There is a clear difference in final experience. Metro Snooker reported that Wu is appearing in his fifth ranking final, while Yuan has reached this stage for the first time.
That does not settle the outcome, but it frames the task for Yuan: he has the chance to move to the cusp of the top 16 with victory, while Wu is guaranteed to move to world number two after the final.