Wu Yize beats Judd Trump 6-1 to reach Shenzhen Open final

Wu Yize recovered from losing the opening frame to defeat Judd Trump 6-1 in the Shenzhen Open semi-finals, setting up an all-Chinese final against Yuan Sijun. According to BBC Sport, the reigning world champion won six frames in succession and is guaranteed to replace Trump as world number two after the final, regardless of its outcome.

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Trump began with a break of 77 but could not build on that start. The Englishman had arrived in the semi-final after a 5-0 quarter-final victory over Mark Selby, yet a series of mistakes allowed Wu to take control. The 22-year-old made three breaks of at least 50 before completing the win with a century break of 110.

The result reversed the outcome of their semi-final at the Shanghai Masters earlier this year. Trump won that meeting and went on to take the Shanghai title in August. In Shenzhen, however, he did not win another frame after his opening success, while Wu advanced to Sunday's final at the Bao'an Sports Centre.

Yuan's route to the final was considerably closer. The 26-year-old beat England's Jimmy Robertson 6-5 to reach his first ranking final, with neither player able to establish a decisive advantage before the last frame. That decider lasted 50 minutes and contained 177 points as a prolonged tactical contest settled the remaining place in the inaugural tournament's title match.

Robertson trapped Yuan in a snooker on the final red and recovered 41 points in penalties. Yuan later left Robertson snookered in turn, before potting the remaining balls through the pink to secure victory. He began the event ranked 33rd and, BBC Sport reported, would move close to the world's top 16 if he won the title.

Speaking to World Snooker Tour in comments carried by the BBC, Wu said he had seen an emotional Yuan before his own evening semi-final and hoped they would produce a strong final. Yuan described the years since the pandemic began in 2020 as difficult and said he wanted a tangible reward for that effort after reaching a ranking final for the first time.