Wu Yize practices ‘like Ronnie O’Sullivan in Ilford back in the 90s,’ says Ken Doherty, who has witnessed the dedication of the world champion first hand.
The 22-year-old became the second youngest world champion ever with his thrilling 18-17 win over Shaun Murphy at the Crucible earlier this month.
It completed a stunning run to the title, which saw him down Lei Peifan, Mark Selby, Hossein Vafaei and then Mark Allen in a dramatic deciding frame.
The Chinese star then edged the Magician to get his hands on the trophy and the £500,000 top prize, catapulting himself to the top of the sport.
1997 world champion Doherty practices alongside Wu at the Ding Junhui Academy in Sheffield and has seen the work he puts in with his father beside him.
Doherty was based in Ilford with O’Sullivan early in his professional career and notices a striking similarity to their practice routines, putting in a huge amount of time on their weaker hand.
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The Irishman didn’t understand the point when he first saw the Rocket working left-handed, but now sees what a strength it has become for him and Wu, who is incredibly reliable with his weaker arm.
‘I’ve seen him in there, day after day, any time I’m in there. The diligence and the work ethic that they put in together is just magnificent,’ Doherty told Metro of Wu and his father Jiepin.
‘Then he’d stop practising right-handed. He played left-handed for an hour, like the way Ronnie used to do back in Ilford, back in the early 90s.
‘I’d be saying to him, “why are you wasting your time playing left handed?” Little did I realise what a weapon it would become, and he’s exactly the same.
‘He can play pressure shots. A wonderful revelation for the game, and it’s been a great boost. It’s a great story as well. His family are lovely, his dad is lovely. I’m so happy for him.’
O’Sullivan is a big fan of Wu’s game and has been something of to mentor him this season, even texting him during the World Championship final with words of advice.
The world champ has a very long way to get near the Rocket’s achievements, but at just 22 years old, he has the potential to win a huge amount on the table.
‘He’s a star. The people loved him because of the way he plays the game,’ said Doherty. ‘He’s got the Wu factor, and he’s only 22. That’s a great, wonderful thing. What I would give to be 22 again, I don’t know. But yeah, he’s just magnificent, great for the game, and he’s going to be a star.
‘He’s got so many years on everybody, and he’s still learning. That’s the thing about it. He’s still not the finished article.
‘He can learn so much more, and he will do, and he’s only got to get better and better, which is a frightening thing for a lot of the players, but great for the game. We needed another star, and we certainly got one.’
Jimmy White is also a huge admirer of the new world champion, as he is of last year’s winner, saying Wu and Zhao Xintong play snooker how it ‘should be played.’
The Whirlwind told Metro: ‘Listen, Wu is fantastic. Like Xintong, they play the game how it should be played.
‘The likes of me, [Stephen] Hendry, O’Sullivan, you know, we’ve been talking about him for three or four years. I didn’t know he’d win so quick because he’s very open, but he played solid all week. Same game plan. He deserves what he got.’
Doherty feels Wu’s win was part of arguably the best World Snooker Championship ever, with a string of Crucible classics played out over 17 days in Sheffield.
‘It was one of the best World Championships, I think, that I’ve seen for a long time. If not the best!’ Doherty said.
‘So many wonderful matches, from Xintong against Ding, Higgins against Ronnie, and Wu being a revelation, beating Selby, beating Mark Allen in that dramatic semi-final, the missed black, the longest frame that’s ever been in the Crucible, and to go 18-17 in the final. Everybody was on the edge of their seats.’