Ronnie O'Sullivan has made clear his support for Wu Yize to win the World Snooker Championship, after the seven-time champion was knocked out by John Higgins. The 22-year-old Chinese player has impressed by reaching the semi-finals at the Crucible, beating Lei Peifan, Mark Selby, and Hossein Vafaei along the way.
O'Sullivan's Mentoring Role
O'Sullivan, who lost a thrilling 13-12 match to Higgins, has taken the rising star under his wing. "I'd help any player. I help players I like. If I think they've got potential and I think I could guide him in the right way. A bit like what Ray Reardon done for me," O'Sullivan said, as reported by the Daily Record.
He added: "With Wu Yize, I said: 'I think you need to improve in this area. I'm convinced of that, if you don't I'm convinced you're just going to keep getting what you got. Do you want to be a champion?' And he was like: 'Yeah, yeah.' You might not want to do this, but if you want to be a champion, you're going to have to do this no matter how good you are because he's the phenomenal talent."
Yize's Response
Yize, who is playing as a seed for the first time after winning the International Championship, appreciated the support. "We met a few times during the practice. We messaged each other occasionally to talk about matches. I really appreciate his support," he said.
The youngster is also inspired by Zhao Xintong, who became the first Chinese world champion in 2025. "To see a Chinese player winning last year definitely made me feel happy for him. I hope I could do that one day for myself. I'll definitely try my best. I have confidence in myself," Yize added.
Impressive Run
Yize's talent was evident in his quarter-final victory over Vafaei, winning 13-8. Vafaei told the BBC: "The guy was potting from everywhere. I lost four or five frames out of nowhere! That was from a shot to nothing, potting them and making 60-70 easily. It was tough, a very tough opponent. I didn't do much wrong, I think. My opponent was playing very well, it was like playing against a PlayStation."
O'Sullivan hopes Yize can emulate Xintong and win the title, having previously mentored the 2025 champion. "Zhao Xintong is a great talent. I didn't spend a lot of time with him, but I think the time I did spend with him, I think I showed him what I thought he needed to work on. Whether he's done it or not, whether it's made him a better, I don't know, but you can just show people," O'Sullivan said.
