Mark Allen misses black as Wu Yize reaches first Crucible final

The last frame captured the pressure that defines the sport. Allen, 40, from Northern Ireland, was aiming for his first Crucible final in his third appearance at this stage, after semi-final defeats in 2009 and 2023. Instead, he missed the black that would have won the match and sent him through. Wu, 22, handled the finish well enough to become the latest Chinese player into the title match and continue a breakthrough run that had already taken him beyond every previous Crucible barrier.

This was not a match decided only by the final miss. Allen had fought back from 6-2 down to level at 7-7, underlining the resilience that has made him one of snooker’s most accomplished players without a world final. He also produced a 145 total clearance, the highest break at the Crucible so far in 2026, while Wu matched the scoring intensity with a 135 total clearance. One frame lasted 100 minutes and 19 seconds, the longest in Crucible history, after play stalled for 55 minutes when the reds were clustered around the black and blocked a corner pocket.

Wu’s path to the final carried its own weight. He had never won a match at the Crucible before this year, but he beat Lei Peifan, Mark Selby and Hossein Vafaei to reach the semi-finals. The run followed his first ranking title at the International Championship in November 2025 and confirmed the rise of a player who has shown no fear on the biggest stage. He also became the fourth mainland Chinese player to reach the Crucible semi-finals.