Wu Yize: the matchup, the stakes, the verdict

Wu Yize took control of the World Championship semi-final against Mark Allen as he reeled off the closing four frames to open up a 6-2 lead after Thursday's evening session had been interrupted by a power outage at the Crucible. Wu Yize has emerged this Friday as one of the stories drawing attention in Ireland.

Key facts

• Wu Yize took control of the World Championship semi-final against Mark Allen as he reeled off the closing four frames to open up a 6-2 lead after Thursday's evening session had been interrupted by a power outage at the Crucible.
• Watch live coverage and follow text updates as Wu Yize takes on Mark Allen in the semi-finals at the Crucible in Sheffield.
• The Chinese 22-year-old surged into a 6-2 lead against Mark Allen after a power outage while Shaun Murphy was pegged back by John Higgins in their semi-final.
• Chinese hotshot electric as he races into 6-2 lead.
• That's it for day one of the semi-finals at the World Championship - it's been an eventful one!

What we know

Going deeper, Watch live coverage and follow text updates as Wu Yize takes on Mark Allen in the semi-finals at the Crucible in Sheffield.

On the substance, the Chinese 22-year-old surged into a 6-2 lead against Mark Allen after a power outage while Shaun Murphy was pegged back by John Higgins in their semi-final.

Beyond the headlines, Chinese hotshot electric as he races into 6-2 lead.

More precisely, That's it for day one of the semi-finals at the World Championship - it's been an eventful one!

It is worth noting that Catch up with the day's play in Steve Sutcliffe's report and be sure to join us again from 10:00 BST on Friday for three more sessions of snooker from the Crucible Theatre.

By the numbers

At this stage, after Thursday's evening session had been interrupted by a power outage at the Crucible, the 22-year-old from China produced a clinical run to leave Antrim man Allen watching on from his chair.

On a related note, With Allen, looking to recover from going 2-0 down, at the table during the third frame, the BBC's TV and online broadcast went off air and screens above the table in the venue also showed no signal.

Going deeper, Wu, who beat former champion Mark Selby and then ended the run of qualifier Hossein Vafaei in the last eight, had earlier benefitted from a double in the opening frame before going on to make a well-crafted 77.

On the substance, Allen's break in the next finished at 59 after a missed cut on the black and following a few safety exchanges, Wu capitalised to pinch the frame with another half-century.

The wider context

On a related note, Allen, through to the semi-finals for the second time in four years, regrouped as a break of 91 secured the third frame before the unexpected interruption and then levelled the match at 2-2.

Going deeper, Further polished, exhibition-style half-century runs of 78 and 64 saw Wu move 5-2 ahead.

On the substance, although Allen - who had not potted a ball for some 45 minutes - fought back in the final frame of the evening, Wu again made the most of his opportunities to close it out 91-42.

Beyond the headlines, In Thursday's afternoon session, Shaun Murphy was reminded his mission of ending a 21-year wait for a second world crown will not be straightforward as he was pegged back by four-time champion John Higgins in their semi-final.

More precisely, the 2005 champion has moved through the gears since squeaking out a 10-9 first-round win over Fan Zhengyi, easing past Xiao Guodong in round two before conquering reigning world champion Zhao Xintong in the quarter-finals to set up a last-four showdown with Higgins and a repeat of the 2009 final.

The bottom line

• The Chinese 22-year-old surged into a 6-2 lead against Mark Allen after a power outage while Shaun Murphy was pegged back by John Higgins in their semi-final.
• After Thursday's evening session had been interrupted by a power outage at the Crucible, the 22-year-old from China produced a clinical run to leave Antrim man Allen watching on from his chair.
• Although Allen - who had not potted a ball for some 45 minutes - fought back in the final frame of the evening, Wu again made the most of his opportunities to close it out 91-42.
• Searches spiking right now: World Snooker Championship 2026 semi-final LIVE: Watch Wu Yize v Mark Allen stream plus scores & results, Watch: World Snooker Championship - Murphy pulls one back to trail Higgins 8-7, Watch: World Snooker Championship - Selby v Wu, Snooker scores live: John Higgins leads Shaun Murphy as BBC slammed over incident.