WU YIZE has revealed the encouraging text he received from Ronnie O’Sullivan midway through the World Snooker Championship final.
Wu, 22, on Monday night with a thrilling 18-17 victory over Shaun Murphy.
Wu Yize held his nerve to defeat Shaun Murphy in a tense final Credit: PA
Ronnie O’Sullivan offered words of encouragement to Wu midway through the showdown Credit: Getty
They went into that evening session with Wu leading 13-12 – the Chinese youngster winning the final three frames in the afternoon to restore his lead after Murphy had taken five on the spin.
It was at that point that seven-time world champion and legend pinged Wu’s phone with some words of wisdom.
Wu told the Snooker Club podcast: “My goal was to extend the lead and I wasn’t playing really that bad, I just wasn’t focused on doing what I do best.
“I went out and tried to give myself some time to cool down. Ronnie texted me and told me to stay focused, to be calm and also to play to my strengths.
“I am very happy that I was able to do that.”
A budding mentorship has been brewing between Wu and the Rocket, with O’Sullivan getting a close-up look at the new world No4 when they practiced together earlier this year.
Wu said: “He’s been helping me so much. He taught me how to handle situations during the match, how to handle different situations on the table.
“It’s definitely experience that I’ve learned from him, I benefit from the time I spent with him a lot.”
Wu is the second Chinese player to win the world title after Zhao Xintong last year Credit: PA
Listening to O’Sullivan, 50, makes it clear that the respect goes both ways.
He said in February: “I think he is going to be world No1, I’d give him three years [to get there].
“I practiced with him for two or three days in not long ago, and it’s not until you practice with someone that you can really appreciate how good they are. After day two I was like, ‘This kid is really special’.
“I expect him to do a lot of great things in snooker.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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