Snooker icon Stephen Hendry playfully warned he would walk out of a podcast while discussing Wu Yize's extraordinary World Snooker Championship victory. On Monday, 22-year-old Yize made history as the second-youngest champion, surpassed only by Hendry, who captured the crown at age 21 in 1990.
While speaking on the Snooker Club podcast, Hendry's co-host, comedian Mark Watson, commended Yize's daring mindset and appetite for risk. "He just seems to go for it, [TNT Sports pundit] Joe Johnson was saying that earlier. He has got this mentality that might cost you the frame but he is still going for it."
Hendry, a familiar BBC figure, interrupted: "Sorry, Joe Johnson? Were you listening to the TNT coverage and not the BBC coverage?" Watson reassured him: "No Stephen, I was interviewing Joe Johnson for this very podcast this morning... I would never dream of turning my back on the BBC."
"That's alright then," Hendry said. "That would have been a bombshell there, I was going to storm out [chuckles]."
Yize's championship run proved as gripping as it was groundbreaking. He edged Shaun Murphy 18-17 in a dramatic Crucible final, stopping Murphy from securing a second world title - and his first since 2005. The young star from China also battled past Mark Allen in a tense semi-final and defeated Hossein Vafaei and Mark Selby earlier in an impressive tournament journey. His triumph made him only the second Chinese winner of the event, following Zhao Xintong's success last year.
World No. 1 Xintong, however, was knocked out in the quarter-finals this time, losing 13-10 to Shaun Murphy. Together, he and Yize are among just six champions from outside the British Isles - and remain the only Asian winners - in the competition's century-long legacy.
Yize's attacking and fearless style has quickly made him stand out among his peers, drawing admiration from commentators and former champions. His readiness to attempt high-risk shots in crucial moments has been central to his standout performance in Sheffield.
"There seems to be a consensus that Yize is liberated by not worrying too much," Watson said. "If he misses it, he misses it. But he'll just go for everything."
"He perhaps doesn't have enough battle scars yet, from losing matches," Hendry added. "He's obviously 22, he's been a pro since he was 16, so he's got that confidence of youth and just going for it and not thinking of what might happen if he misses - and that's brilliant. But that doesn't last forever."
