Can Judd Trump extend remarkable title-winning snooker stat after Wu Yize's coming-of-age triumph against John Higgins at International Championship?
Updated 10/11/2025 at 11:58 GMT
Wu Yize extended snooker's remarkable sequence of title winners when he claimed his first major trophy in the professional game with a 10-6 win over John Higgins in the final of the International Championship in Nanjing on Sunday. There is the prospect of that run continuing with the Champion of Champions event getting underway in Leicester on Monday, as world No. 1 Judd Trump takes to the table.
Wu lifts International Championship trophy - 'Going to need a well supported mantelpiece'
Video credit: TNT Sports
Another week, another winner in world snooker's blissfully unpredictable seven-month potting period.
Wu Yize is the 11th different player to win an event since the end of last season after completing his coming-of-age moment with a 10-6 win over John Higgins in the final of the International Championship in Nanjing.
At the age of 22, Wu was forced to do it the hard way in securing the first major trophy of his fledgling professional career, with his dominant win over Higgins seeing him lead from start to finish in producing four majestic centuries from an overall tournament haul of 14.
In tables built for Wu's prolific scoring game, the International Championship witnessed a record 160 centuries, including two 147s by Zak Surety and Gary Wilson, five more than the previous best of 155 from two years ago.
He had earlier defeated 2023 winner Zhang Anda (6-3), world No. 1 Judd Trump (6-4, from 4-0 behind), Barry Hawkins (6-0) and world champion Zhao Xintong (9-6) on his way to the ÂŁ175,000 first prize.
Wu's victory - his third appearance in a ranking final after losing to Neil Robertson (9-7) in the English Open and Lei Peifan (9-5) in the Scottish Open last season - came a week too late to qualify for the 16-player Champions of Champions event, which gets underway in Leicester on Monday.
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Wu celebrates 'special moment' after clinching International Championship title
Video credit: TNT Sports
But he moves up to a career-high of 13th in the world rankings to secure a top-16 seeding for the UK Championship in York later this month, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
"John is the player I respect the most among all the snooker players," said Wu after becoming the ninth Chinese player to claim a ranking title.
"One of the most well-rounded, seeing he can still play such a high level at the age of 50, I'm really happy for him."
It was Higgins who kicked off a unique sequence of results in the sport with a 10-8 win over Mark Selby in the final of the Tour Championship in Manchester in April.
In the ensuing seven-month period, no player has twice been victorious at a major competition, with Wu joining recent Northern Ireland Open champion Jack Lisowski as maiden winners on the main professional circuit.
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Wu reminds me so much of the late Paul Hunter - Higgins
Video credit: TNT Sports
The run could continue at the Champion of Champions event with world No. 1 Judd Trump bidding to secure a first title since the UK Championship last December.
The 2021 winner opens the event against women's world champion Bai Yulu in Group Two on Monday afternoon, before Shaun Murphy faces Lei with the respective winners meeting for a semi-final spot in the evening session.
Mark Williams is defending the trophy after his 10-6 win over Xiao Guodong in last year's final in Bolton.
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Snooker's last 11 major tournament winners
- Tour Championship: John Higgins (Sco) 10‍–‍8 Mark Selby (Eng) - April 2025
- World Championship: Zhao Xintong (Chn) 18‍–‍12 Mark Williams (Wal) - May 2025
- Championship League: Stephen Maguire (Sco) 3–1 Joe O'Connor (Eng) - July 2025
- Shanghai Masters: Kyren Wilson (Eng) 11–9 Ali Carter (Eng) - August 2025
- Saudi Arabia Masters: Neil Robertson (Aus) 10–9 Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) - August 2025
- Wuhan Open: Xiao Guodong (Chn) 10–9 Gary Wilson (Eng) - August 2025
- English Open: Mark Allen (NI) 9–8 Zhou Yuelong (Chn) - September 2025
- British Open: Shaun Murphy (Eng) 10–7 Anthony McGill (Sco) - September 2025
- Xi'an Grand Prix: Mark Williams (Wal) 10–3 Shaun Murphy (Eng) - October 2025
- Northern Ireland Open: Jack Lisowski (Eng) 9–8 Judd Trump (Eng) - October 2025
- International Championship: Wu Yize (Chn) 10-6 John Higgins (Sco) - November 2025
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Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the UK Championship, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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