Wu Yize in driving seat but Shaun Murphy stays in touch in Crucible final

With celebrities aplenty in ­attendance and a protester bursting on to the ­hallowed Crucible floor, at one stage on Sunday there threatened to be more ­headlines off the baize than on it during the opening half of snooker’s two-day extravaganza to crown its world champion.

But by Sunday evening and as the halfway point of the final between Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize approached, both ­competitors ensured all the talk will be about what is to follow on Monday afternoon and ­evening inside one of sport’s most famous buildings.

There is history to be made ­irrespective of who triumphs at some stage on Monday. If it is Murphy who claims his ­second world title, that would break the record for the longest gaps between world titles by some distance: ­Murphy’s maiden win was way back in 2005 when he was only 22.

But after Zhao Xintong’s ­historic victory last year burst open the boundaries of possibility for ­Chinese snooker, there is now the very ­realistic chance of back-to-back and ­different champions from China. Should Wu win, it would lean into a wider story of a younger generation of stars taking control of the baize.

He would be the fourth first-time winner in the past four years after Kyren Wilson, Luca Brecel and Zhao. With these narratives in mind, it is not unreasonable to question whether Monday provides a seminal moment for snooker’s direction.

Murphy perhaps symbolically represents the hopes of an older generation; only two men – Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams – have won the tournament in their 40s this century. Snooker is fast becoming a young man’s game and the ­emergence of Wu here has suggested most of the tidal wave of young talent continues to come from China.

Shaun Murphy won four consecutive frames in the opening session. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

The times may well be changing for good in snooker but there is a long way to go before we can be ­definitive on that count after a ­compelling opening day. The first eight frames in Sunday’s afternoon session were split equally; a good achievement for Wu given he was in action until almost midnight on Saturday in his dramatic victory over Mark Allen.

But there was no real slumber from 22-year-old Wu, who is attempting to win only his second ranking event after a triumph in the International Championship five months ago. He moved into a 3-0 lead, albeit not with the kind of glistening, error-free snooker he has produced on ­occasions over the past fortnight.