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Wu Yize is the 2026 World Champion!

monique — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:14:02 +0000

Wu Yize won the 2026 World Championship at the Crucible theatre in Sheffield, beating Shaun Murphy 18-17 in the Final. The final was refereed by Rob Spencer and here are the detailed scores of the Final:

Session 1:
72-50 (51), 60-50 (SM 50), 86-53 (61), 0-95 (85)
0-98 (98), 24-90 (77), 1-118 (109), 74-32 (65)

Session 2:
82-1 (82), 106-16 (103), 32-80 (72), 72-8
89-8 (89), 0-83 (70), 97-29 (66), 1-66, 91-39 (91)

Session 3:
37-103, 9-76 (76), 13-55, 2-120 (59)
37-67 (60), 93-0 (64), 73-1, 121-5 (61)

Session 4:
88-1 (88), 0-82 (82), 26-75, 60-56
70-73 (WY 70, SM 65), 65-0 (56), 1-131 (131)
91-45 (91), 43-75 (75), 85-8 (85)

He also had to work hard in the semi finals … where he defeated Mark Allen by 17-16!
This is a really fantastic achievement, especially considering that Wu was only 21 years old when he lifted the trophy.
Big Congratulations Wu Yize!

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Here is the piece WST shared a week after Wu’s triumph:

Wu Hopes To Inspire New Generation

A week after winning the Halo World Championship, Wu Yize is looking ahead to a bright future and hopes that his hard-working attitude and success can inspire the next generation of players.

China’s 22-year-old Wu became the second youngest ever World Champion when he beat Shaun Murphy 18-17 in one of the all-time great Crucible finals on May 4th. On his return to his homeland he was given a hero’s welcome having immediately become a national icon in a country where hundreds of millions of fans watch and play snooker.

Wu’s attacking style and bold shot selection was never more evident than the deciding frame of the final with Murphy, when he potted a do-or-die red to a centre pocket to set up a match-winning break of 85. And the player from Lanzhou in northwest China’s Gansu province has no plans to adapt his approach.

“I will definitely stick with it,” said Wu in an interview with national broadcaster CCTV. “I’m more willing than most players to attack and take risks, and I’m willing to accept the consequences whether I win or lose. I think what I can do is show everyone the best version of myself through my career. Maybe that can inspire people of my generation, or younger kids, to give everything for the work they truly love and pursue it bravely. That’s probably what I want to express. If I can have that kind of influence, then I feel a great sense of achievement. Chinese players are all very hard-working. We are always studying how to improve and become better. Living abroad and dealing with various pressures also pushes us to become stronger and go further.”

Next season, Wu will face the responsibility and added expectation that comes with being World Champion. His compatriot Zhao Xintong handled that challenge admirably, winning four titles in 2025/26 and proving to be a fine ambassador for the sport. Wu has a similar level-headed demeanor and with the support of his family he is confident he can continue to improve.

“Maybe the enormous pressure during the tournament has disappeared, but at the same time a lot of other work and responsibilities have come all at once,” he said. “I think I’ve adapted quite quickly. In fact, my goal has always been to win the World Championship. Perhaps this season I felt I truly had the ability to compete for it, whereas before it was something I could only quietly keep to myself. I’ve never doubted myself, although emotional ups and downs are inevitable. Every player experiences that during an event like the World Championship.

“I kept trying to tell myself to enjoy it and experience that incredible arena, but when you are actually inside that environment, it’s difficult to fully control your emotions. All you can do is try your best and do everything possible to manage those outside factors. Although I won this tournament, there were still many moments where I felt I had small problems. For example, at certain key moments under pressure, I didn’t handle my emotions well enough. Whether leading or trailing, I need to stay calmer and avoid thinking about things outside the match or unrelated to the table.

“Honestly, I feel that ever since I turned professional I’ve been improving every year. It’s been a good feeling, taking things step by step. Every season I’ve had some gains and breakthroughs, and even the defeats have helped me gain valuable experience, which allowed me to get through difficult moments in a tournament like the World Championship. I still want to pursue bigger and higher goals. I believe that after winning the World Championship, the responsibility on my shoulders and the life I face now will require me to work even harder and continue improving myself.”

Looking back on the final against Murphy, Wu was asked about his opponent’s unusual break-off. He replied: “That’s a tactical approach he has studied very well. I think his break-off is especially effective against aggressive players because it can really limit the opponent’s scoring opportunities. The good thing about his break-off is that many times I simply couldn’t find a way to deal with it. The only option was often to take on a very risky attacking shot, maybe a long pot to open things up, but if you miss, you can leave him with a very good chance. When I play, I always like to embrace challenges. If I believe it’s the right situation, I will definitely take risks. Maybe that’s just the kind of player I am. Of course, I’ve paid the price for it many times and lost a lot of matches because of it.”

And asked about his composure and calmness at the end of the final, he added: “Maybe because by that point I had already experienced so many emotions. It was such a long match, and I think both of us were completely exhausted. Perhaps the pressure was finally released at that moment. The feeling went beyond myself somehow. I felt the support of my country behind me, and a kind of spiritual strength coming from China that gave me a sense of mission. I wasn’t only fighting for myself. My parents sacrificed everything. It’s hard to describe in just a few words. It was only the second time my mother had been to the UK, and sometimes she probably felt that we were quite lonely over there. Since I was very young, our whole family has worked hard together and stayed committed to this career. In that moment, I felt I had repaid not only my own efforts, but also theirs.”

The 2026 Tour Championship

monique — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:31:58 +0000

The 2026 Tour Championship was played in Manchester, UK, from the 30th of March to the 5th of April 2026. Only the top 12 in the one year list qualify for this event. The Grove was represented by three players: Mark Selby, Wu Yize and Neil Robertson. Not bad eh?
The event was won by Zhao Xintong, who deafeated Judd Trump in the final. The score was severe: 10-3.
Neil Robertson had reached the semi-finals, losing to Judd Trump by 10-4.
Mark Selby had lost to John Higgins in the QFs (10-8). Wu Yize had lost to Chris Wakelin by 10-6. It was a painful defeat because wu had won the first session by 6-2 with a barrage of big breaks (73, 74, 75, 81 and 84!).
Then he had a very bad day in the office as he was whitewashed in the second session … It is to be noted that match was played over two days, giving players plenty of time to ponder over the first session outcome. Chris Wakelin admitted that, after losing the first session by 6-2, he had come back the next day, totally relaxed, with a sole ambition and that was to make the score a bit more respectable and that this mindset had helped him massively.

The 2026 Welsh Open

monique — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 09:50:45 +0000

The 2026 Welsh Open took place in Llandudno, Wales, from 23 February till 1st of March 2026. The event was won by Barry Hawkins who beat Jack Lisowski by 9-5 in the final. Except for Ding Junjui, all Grove players were involved in the main event.
Luca Brecel though failed to make any sort of impact as he was whitewashed by Jackson Page in the first round proper. Mark Selby also exited the tournament in that round, beaten 4-3 by Jiang Jun.
Neil Robertson lost to the eventual champion, Barry Hawkins, in the QF round (5-3) ant it was Barry again who eliminated Wu Yize in the SF round (6-4).

The 2026 Players Championship

monique — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 09:20:02 +0000

This event, featuring only the top 16 players in the one year list at the time it was held, was played in Telford, England from 17 to 22 of February 2026. Kyren Wilson was the defending Champion. It was won by John Higgins, who beat Zhao Xintong by 10-7 in the final. Three Grove players had qualified: Mark Selby, Wu Yize and Neil Robertson. Neil and Wu lost in the opening round: Neil lost by 6-1 to John Higgins and Wu by 6-3 to Mark Allen. And it was also Mark Allen who beat Mark Selby by 6-2 in the round of 16

The 2026 World Grand Prix

monique — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 09:04:05 +0000

The 2026 World Grand Prix was played at the Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong, from 3 to 8 of February 2026. Neil Robertson was the defending champion.
The event was won by Zhao Xintong who beat Zhang Anda by 10-6 in the final.
Other than Luca Brecel, all Grove players qualified for it. Remember, this event is for the top 32 in the one year list only.
Neil Robertson, the defending Champion, was beaten by 5-1 by Jak Jones in the first round. Ding also lost in that round, beaten 5-3 by Barry Hawkins.
Mark Selby went one round further, but lost in the round of 16, beaten in a deciding frame by the then reigning world Champion, Zhao Xintong.
Wu Yize reached the quarter-finals but lost at that stage by Zhang Anda.

The 2026 German Masters

monique — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 21:22:32 +0000

The 2026 German Masters was played at the Tempodrom, in Berlin, Germany, From January 26 to February 1, 2026. Kyren Wilson was the defending Champion. The event was won by Judd Trump who beat Shaun Murphy in the Final (10-4).

From the Grove, only three players had managed to get to the main venue. Judd Trump, Mark Selby and Neil Robertson. Mark Selby, surprisingly, lost to Xu Si in the round of 32. The match was close though, the final score was 5-4 to Xu.

Here is the report shared by WST:

Trump Masters The Tempodrom Again

Judd Trump ended a 14-month title drought by beating Shaun Murphy 10-4 in the final of the Machineseeker German Masters at Berlin’s iconic Tempodrom.

It’s a record-extending fourth win in the event for Trump, following previous wins in 2020, 2021 and 2024. He beat Neil Robertson, Jack Lisowski and Si Jiahui in the respective title matches.

The Bristolian last captured silverware at the 2024 UK Championship and went without a title in the calendar year of 2025. He lost his last three ranking final appearances at the 2025 Players Championship, 2025 Northern Ireland Open and the 2025 UK Championship.

Trump has now won 31 ranking events in total and he’s fourth in the all-time list. Only John Higgins (33), Stephen Hendry (36) and Ronnie O’Sullivan (41) have won more in the history of snooker.

2019 World Champion Trump remains at the top of the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings, after capturing the £100,000 top prize, having now occupied the summit for 75 weeks. Murphy also remains unmoved in seventh position.

The Magician will be disappointed not to have taken his form from previous rounds into the final. He powered past Mark Allen, Kyren Wilson and Neil Robertson by a collective scoreline of 16-2 in his previous three matches.

43-year-old Murphy would dearly have loved to win the event in tribute to his late manager and close friend Brandon Parker, who the trophy is named after. Parker was instrumental in taking the German Masters to Berlin and promoting it.

The pair emerged to a rapturous reception in a packed Tempodrom this evening, with over 2,400 expectant fans in attendance. It was Trump who held a 5-3 cushion when play got underway for the final session.

Murphy looked in a strong position to take the opening frame of the evening when he led 60-0. However, a misjudged shot by Trump fortuitiously left Murphy angled in the jaws of the green pocket. His response let Trump back in the frame and he eventually stole on the black to make it 6-3.

The tenth frame was also stolen on the black by the Ace in the Pack and a break of 68 compounded Murphy’s woes and moved Trump 8-3 up. The last frame before the mid-session also came down to the wire, with Trump taking it on the pink to get within a frame of the title.

Trump squandered his first chance to seize the trophy and it was the turn of Murphy to win on the black and stay alive at 9-4. The crowd were hungry for more snooker and roared with delight after Murphy deposited the final ball. However, it was to be a short-lived reprieve with Trump controlling a scrappy 14th to get over the line and emerge a 10-4 victor.

“It is incredible to win such a special event. Every time I come here I’m very happy to be here and have the chance to play in front of that crowd. There are such special memories walking out here for the final. Today was no different. I played a very solid game,” said 36-year-old Trump.

“The time without winning tournaments wasn’t difficult. It was just about being in the right mental state to win when the next chance came around. It was important not to get too down on myself and take the positives that I was putting myself in position to win. It has been a very good three or four months really.

“It was nice to make it as comfortable as possible. Every time you can win in the final with a few frames to spare is a good feeling. You then get to really enjoy the moment.

“This season has been a bit different. Now is normally the time when I’m losing my form a little bit! The last two or three months have been very good and consistent. Now I need to turn it up a notch. I hope that will give me the confidence to pick up some more big titles.”

Murphy said: “I want to say a massive thanks to the crowd this week. They have been unbelievably supportive. It has been an incredible week for me here in Berlin. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, apart from today! You guys have cheered for me from the first shot of the first match. I’ll come back next year and try again.

“There are a lot of positives to take from the week. We have a three-flight day tomorrow, straight to Hong Kong for the World Grand Prix. It is a good time to be playing well and I will try to rub the disappointment of today off and go again next week.“

All detailed results are available on snooker.org.

The 2026 Masters

monique — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 20:29:12 +0000

The 2026 Masters was played at Alexandra Palace, London from 11th to 18th of January 2026. Shaun Murphy was the defending champion. The events was won by Kyren Wilson who beat John Higgins by 10-6 in the final. Other than Luca Brecel, all Grove players were involved. From the Grove Wu Yize and Judd Trump had the best tournament. Both reached the semi-finals. Wu lost to Kyren Wilson and Judd to John Higgins. Both matches went to a deciding frame.
Wu also made the highest break of the tournament, a 137. It came during his first round match against the defending Champion, Shaun Murphy,
All the detailed results are available on snooker.org.

Mark Selby is the 2025 UK Champion

monique — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 11:01:56 +0000

Mark Selby beat Judd Trump in the Final in York to become the 2025 UK Champion.
Here is the report shared by WST

:

Mark Selby held off a fightback from defending champion Judd Trump to triumph in a nerve-shredding final 10-8 and win the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship for a third time.

Victory sees Selby reach the quarter-century mark in ranking silverware, with this being his 25th title.

The Jester from Leicester also captured UK crowns in 2012 and 2016, when he won respective finals against Shaun Murphy and Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Selby has ended a nine year wait to conquer York again and the signs were there in the lead up to the event. He won last month’s invitational Champion of Champions, where he defeated Trump 10-5 in the title match.

42-year-old Selby moves to ten Triple Crown titles in all, edging ahead of John Higgins (9) in the all-time list. Only Steve Davis (15), Stephen Hendry (18) and Ronnie O’Sullivan (23) have won more than Selby.

Defeat for world number one Trump means he ends 2025 without having added to his trophy collection. It is the first time the Bristolian has failed to win an event in a calendar year since 2013.

Selby claims the £250,000 winner’s cheque and as a result rises from 11th position to sixth in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings. Trump remains unmoved at the summit.
They came into tonight with Selby holding a commanding 6-2 lead. The opening frame went the way of the four-time World Champion, who crafted a run of 59 to extend his advantage to 7-2.

Trump seized the initiative in the next with a break of 63, but spurned a black off the spot. Selby couldn’t punish him and a safety battle ensued. Trump eventually trapped his opponent and won the exchange to make it 7-3.

A fragmented 11th saw both players miss balls unexpectedly, but after 38 minutes of play, it was 2019 Crucible king Trump who prevailed to go three behind at 7-4. The Juddernaut rode the wave of momentum into the interval, hammering in a century run of 105 to trail 7-5.

When play resumed, Selby produced a 91 break to move two away from the finishing line. However, the Ace in the Pack refused to fold and made a sublime 125 to pull within two at 8-6.

A nervy 15th saw Selby miss two routine blacks off the spot, allowing Trump to reduce his arrears further and crank up the heat, making it 8-7.

Despite the huge tension, Selby summoned the steel to make 77 and move to the verge of victory and lead 9-7.

The balls appeared to be at Selby’s mercy in the 17th, but a missed red to the top left allowed Trump back to the table and he clawed back to 9-8. In typical Selby fashion, he recomposed himself and made 69 to cap off a landmark win.

“I missed a dolly red when I was in win 10-7 and I was sitting in my chair thinking that if I lose 10-9 that will haunt me forever. It would have been worse than the Willie Thorne blue! To make the break in the last, it is probably one of the best breaks of my career. Under those circumstances, to hold myself together,” said an elated and relieved Selby.

“To win any tournament nowadays is so difficult. I put so much emphasis on these Triple Crown events. I always try that little bit harder and the pressure is greater. These are the events I judge my CV on. It is nice to get to double figures.

“It is incredible to go above John Higgins in Triple Crown wins. I’ve looked up to him for years. When I was a young lad, he was at the top of his game and he is still top of his game now. To know I’m in front of him by one is incredible. He is still capable of winning Triple Crown events himself and it wouldn’t surprise me if he did it this season. I get on with him really well, so I can have a bit of banter about that.”

Trump said: “I had a lot of chances this evening. It is my own fault and I missed too many easy balls. It isn’t easy to get over the line in these big events and I was in a similar situation last year. I hoped that I would find my best but it didn’t happen.

“Mark was much the better player and I was just trying to hang in. There was the odd frame when I was coming back and I was starting to pot a few. I will be trying to find that at the start of the game in the Masters. I will work hard between now and the Masters.”

All the detailed results are available on snooker.org.
Judd Trump had beaten Neil Robertson in the semi-finals and Ding in the quarter finals before facing Mark Selby in the final.
Previously, Neil Robertson had beaten Wu Yize in the round of 16.

The 2025 Riyadh Season Snooker Championship

monique — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 10:38:31 +0000

Neil Robertson was the only player from the Grove involved in the 2025 Riyadh Season Snooker Championship. He reached the final but came second to Zhao Xintong who beat him by 5-2.

Mark Selby is the 2025 Champion of Champions

monique — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 10:03:34 +0000

The 2025 Champion of Champions was played from 10th to 16th of November 2025, in Leicester, England. Grove was represented by Mark Selby and Neil Robertson. Mark Selby, of course, was the “local boy” in the draw and he played great all week.

Here is the report shared by WST:

Selby Beats Trump To Become Champion Of Champions For First Time
Mark Selby landed the Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions title for the first time, and ended a nine-month barren streak, as he pulled away from 5-5 to beat Judd Trump 10-5 in the final.

Four-time Crucible king Selby had never previously reached the final of this event but this time in Leicester he rose to the occasion in front of his home fans, knocking out Stephen Maguire, Mark Williams and Neil Robertson before dominating the second half of the final against world number one Trump, finishing in superb style with three consecutive century breaks.

It’s a first title for 42-year-old Selby since the Welsh Open in February and by far his highlight of the 2025/26 season so far as he had previously not reached a final. He will now go into the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship later this month with a massive confidence boost.

Trump, who remains without a title in 2025, held an early 3-1 lead with breaks of 111, 73 and 114, despite a 102 from his opponent in frame two. Selby then hit back with 70, 99, 65 and 64 to go 5-3 ahead, before Trump’s 71 gave him the last frame of the afternoon session.

Bristol’s Trump won the first of the evening session, then Selby took the 11th for 6-5, before crucially getting the better of a safety battle on the final pink in the 12th to extend his lead. A tremendous 138 total clearance, the highest break of the tournament, left Selby 8-5 up as they headed for the interval.

And Selby maintained his momentum when they returned as breaks of 101 and 132 allowed him to fly past the winning post.

“This event is only for the best players and it was a privilege to play Judd in the final,” said Selby, the tenth different winner in ten tournaments so far this season. “I played well from start to finish and I knew I had to because Judd is the man to beat. I have felt good about my game for the last few days, I have found something and I know I have to stick with it. It’s a while since I have felt like that so it was great to play to that standard in a big final.”

Trump, who lost 9-8 to Jack Lisowski in last month’s Northern Ireland Open final, appeared to suggest that he will ditch the cue he has used since the start of the current season. “I couldn’t win with that cue,” he said. “I gave it my all today, but I just can’t get used to it, I didn’t know where to aim. There are no excuses and congratulations to Mark because he was the best player all week and deserved to win. He scored very heavily, his safety was good and he showed why he is one of the all-time greats.”