A 22-year-old Chinese snooker player, Wu Yize, secured his first ranking title at the 2025 World Snooker Tour International Championship in Nanjing on November 9th, defeating four-time World Champion John Higgins 10-6.
The victory marked a significant milestone for Wu, elevating his world ranking from 22nd to 13th and placing him within the top 16 for the first time, according to reports from Xinhua and the World Snooker Tour. Wu became the ninth player from mainland China to win a ranking event.
The final match saw Wu capture an early lead, extending it to 5-2 with a century break. Higgins responded, narrowing the gap to 5-4 by the finish of the first session. Wu then regained control, leading 8-5 before ultimately closing out the match with another century break of 108 in the 16th frame.
“It’s unbelievable, I feel like I’m dreaming,” Wu said following the win. He recalled a previous encounter with Higgins when he was 16, losing although playing with a wildcard. “Never did I think our next meeting would be at the final of this tournament. It feels absolutely amazing.”
Throughout the tournament, Wu demonstrated strong form, overcoming several highly-ranked players including Zhang Anda, Judd Trump, Barry Hawkins, and Zhao Xintong in successive matches. This win automatically qualifies him for the UK Championship.
Higgins acknowledged the increasing competitiveness of the sport, stating, “I am so proud that I’m still competing,” and adding that it was “much harder for players like him to win now than it used to be, because they arrive up against such high-quality players these days.”
Wu’s potential has been recognized for years, having grow World Under-21 Champion at the age of 14 in 2018 and being named Rookie of the Year in 2022 after his debut season on tour.
