Latvia’s first professional snooker player, Artimijs Zizins, produced the biggest victory of his career so far by defeating reigning World Champion Wu Yize 5–4 in a thrilling encounter at the Wuhan Open.
The 20-year-old produced a fearless display in front of a packed arena, recovering from a 4–3 deficit to force a deciding frame before keeping his composure to complete a remarkable victory.
Zizins shows incredible character
Zizins made an outstanding start to the match, compiling breaks of 58, 85 and 85 as he established a 3–1 lead at the mid-session interval.
However, home favourite Wu responded strongly after the restart.
The World Champion produced breaks of 129 and 87 during a three-frame winning streak that saw him turn the match around and move to within one frame of victory at 4–3.
With the momentum seemingly with Wu, Zizins showed tremendous resilience.
An impressive 80 break levelled the match at 4–4 and set up a deciding frame.
The final frame was a dramatic affair, with both players given opportunities to secure victory. Ultimately, Wu was unable to pot the black while attempting to gain position on the final yellow.
Zizins took full advantage, clearing through to the pink to complete a 5–4 victory and secure the biggest win of his career.
A landmark moment for Latvian snooker
Zizins turned professional in 2024 after successfully coming through Q School at his first attempt.
The young Latvian has continued to make progress on the professional circuit and reached the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time earlier this year at the World Open.
His victory over the reigning World Champion represents another huge step forward.
Speaking after the match, an understandably delighted Zizins said:
“There are no words for how I feel. I began on the World Snooker Tour two years ago, now I am playing the World Champion on table one in a full arena and winning. It felt unbelievable.”
He added:
“I’m just beginning my journey and I was nervous. Hopefully I can experience this more and get better.”
Zizins will now face experienced Scottish professional Stephen Maguire, with a place in the last 16 at stake.
Zhao Xintong continues world number one push
There was a very different afternoon for another Chinese World Champion.
2025 World Champion Zhao Xintong produced a dominant display on the other table, defeating Gao Yang 5–0 in front of a bumper crowd of more than 3,000 spectators.
Zhao was in excellent scoring form, compiling breaks of 107, 118, 75, 82 and 67 on his way to victory.
He now faces Welshman Jak Jones in the next round.
Zhao also remains in contention to finish the tournament as world number one. If he can match or better Neil Robertson’s performance in Wuhan, he will put himself in a strong position to move to the summit of the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings.
However, Zhao is keeping his focus on his own performances rather than the rankings.
“When I was very young, becoming world number one was probably my biggest dream. But now that I’m at this stage of my career, I think it’s better to just let things happen naturally.”
Neil Robertson kept his own hopes alive with a 5–1 victory over Ben Mertens.
Trump keeps his hopes alive
Current world number one Judd Trump knows that he likely needs to win the Wuhan Open to have a chance of retaining his position at the top of the rankings.
Trump made a strong start to his campaign with a convincing 5–0 whitewash of Yuan Sijun.
He will now face either Si Jiahui or Dylan Emery in the next round.
O’Sullivan progresses despite admitting his performance was below par
Seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan also booked his place in the next round with a 5–2 victory over Ashley Carty.
The match was closely contested early on, with the opening two frames shared before O’Sullivan edged the third on the black after a break of 59.
The Rocket then took control of the fourth frame to establish a 3–1 advantage at the interval.
Carty responded by taking the fifth, but O’Sullivan regained control and won the next two frames to secure a 5–2 victory.
The 50-year-old will now face China’s Yao Pengchang.
Despite progressing, O’Sullivan was openly critical of his own performance and admitted he has been struggling to produce his best snooker in recent times.
“My performance was pretty bad really. You have to call it out. I’m not going to lie.”
O’Sullivan has previously spoken about the possibility that the 2028 World Championship could be his final appearance at the Crucible, with a record eighth world title remaining one of his biggest ambitions.
A memorable day in Wuhan
While the established stars continued their campaigns, it was Artimijs Zizins who stole the headlines.
From becoming Latvia’s first professional snooker player to defeating the reigning World Champion in front of a packed arena, the 20-year-old has taken another significant step in his developing career.
With Stephen Maguire now standing between Zizins and another ranking-event last-16 appearance, the Latvian will have another opportunity to show that his victory over Wu Yize was no fluke.
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