The Shenzhen Open final looks set to be a cracker for those in attendance as it has set up an all-Chinese clash between Yuan Sijun and Wu Yize.
Sijun was a narrow 6-5 winner over Jimmy Robertson in the semi-finals and the 26-year-old’s reward is a first ranking event final.
World champion Yize is closing in on another major title and a 6-1 last-four win over Judd Trump suggests the Crucible hero is operating at the peak of his powers.
Yuan Sijun v Wu Yize Tips Summary
Best Bet - Wu Yize -3.5 frames @ 4/6
Alternative Bet - Wu Yize to win 10-3 @ 7/1
Yuan Sijun v Wu Yize Prediction
Best Bet: Wu Yize -3.5 frames @ 4/6
Wu Yize won the International Championship and World Championship last season and the 22-year-old is closing in on another major title.
Yize was in devastating form when beating Judd Trump 6-1 in the Shenzhen Open semi-finals and that effort is even more impressive considering the Ace had previously beaten Si Jiahui 5-2 and Mark Selby 5-0.
Yize made a knock of 110 to seal the deal against Trump and the break-building abilities of the Chinese cueman were clear to see.
The world champion has developed into a top-level performer, and with a Crucible success already in the bag, there are no concerns over the 22-year-old delivering his best in the Shenzhen Open final.
Yuan Sijun has done well to reach a ranking event final, but it has hardly been a difficult path to the Shenzhen Open showdown.
The Chinese potter has beaten Fan Zhengyi, Zak Surety, Michael Holt and Jimmy Robertson to set up a tie with Yize. However, the 26-year-old only got past Robertson 6-5 at the last-four stage and it was not a vintage performance.
Sijun made only three breaks of more than 50 in his 6-5 success over J-Rob and a run of 64 was the best the Nanchang cueman could manage.
That indicates a clear gap in class between the final rivals and Yize is fancied to win and cover the handicap.
Alternative Bet: Wu Yize to win 10-3 @ 7/1
Yuan Sijun will play the biggest game of his career in the Shenzhen Open final and he may struggle to handle the occasion.
A semi-final run in the 2025 German Masters was the previous best effort for the 26-year-old and he was hammered 6-2 by Barry Hawkins on that occasion.
Sijun has no experience of a major ranking event showdown, and while Yize is four years younger, he has the benefit of delivering in a World Championship final.
Yize is in excellent shape following his 6-1 semi-final success over Trump and a comfortable win looks on the cards, with a 10-3 correct score looking tempting.
Yuan Sijun v Wu Yize H2H Record & Stats
There have been no previous ranking meetings between the two players but Yuan Sijun beat Wu Yize 5-1 in the 2023 CBSA Haining Open in 2023.
Key Match Stats
- Yuan Sijun has never contested a ranking event final
- Sijun made only three breaks of more than 50 in a 6-5 semi-final win over Jimmy Robertson
- The 26-year-old recorded a high break of just 64 against Robertson, who posted two centuries
- Wu Yize has won his last two ranking event finals
- The 22-year-old is a four-time ranking event finalist, and is the current world champion
- The Lanzhou Lion has won 11 of the 16 matches he has contested this season
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
