Wu Yize Seizes Control After 15-Minute Blackout, Beats Mark Allen to Lead 6-2

Wu Yize seized control of the world championship semi-final against Mark Allen after a 15-minute blackout at the Crucible, then closed out the final four frames to open up a 6-2 lead.

“A mammoth afternoon session between Wu Yize and Mark Allen saw the longest frame in Crucible history completed in their World Championship semi-final”

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The Guardian reported that after Thursday’s evening session was interrupted by a power outage at the Crucible, “the BBC’s TV and online broadcast went off air and screens above the table in the venue also showed no signal.”

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The World Snooker Tour posted on X that “Broadcast has been paused at the Halo World Championship due to a technical issue, we are working towards resolving this.”

After about 15 minutes, the players returned “to finish off the final frame before the mid-session interval,” according to The Guardian.

The same match had already featured Wu’s run of form, with the 22-year-old from China producing a “well-crafted 77” and then capitalising on Allen’s missed cut on the black.

The Guardian also described how Allen hit back with “a break of 91” to secure the third frame before the unexpected interruption and then levelled the match at 2-2.

Wu, in his first Crucible semi-final, then missed his attempt on the eighth black but still “eventually got over the line with the colours to the pink,” and further polished runs of “78 and 64” moved him 5-2 ahead.

In the final frame of the evening, Allen fought back after not potted a ball for “45 minutes,” but Wu closed it out “91-42,” leaving the semi-final poised for the next day’s action.

The second session between Wu Yize and Mark Allen produced the longest frame in Crucible history, a farcical 14th frame that left eight reds covering the black over the bottom right corner pocket and lasted “100 minutes and 21 seconds,” according to the BBC.

BBC described how the impasse contributed to a shortened session that ended 7-7 with only six of the eight frames scheduled, and it delayed the resumption of the other last-four match between John Higgins and Shaun Murphy.

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The BBC said the impasse left the match without a ball being potted for “55 minutes” and prompted referee Marcel Eckardt to warn the players, before the deadlock ended when Allen fouled and nudged the black in.

The BBC also quoted Steve Davis, saying: “In a nutshell that frame is an embarrassment to snooker, and the referees' and the players' association need to try to work out a way so that never happens again.”

The Independent similarly called it the “longest, “worst” and “most bizarre” frame,” noting it lasted “one hour and 40 minutes” and surpassed the “85-minute frame” between Mark Selby and Yan Bingtao in 2022.

In that account, referee Marcel Eckardt tried to keep control as the Crucible crowd reacted, with John Parrott telling BBC Sport: “I’ve never seen a frame like it in all my years, I've never seen it like this, never this bad.”

The Independent added that after an interjection from Rob Spencer, Eckardt warned he would call a re-rack unless the players resolved the stalemate in their next three shots.

Across the coverage, the frame’s length and the threat of a re-rack became central to how the match swung back toward Allen, with the BBC stating Wu picked up “his only frame of the afternoon” after the deadlock ended.

The longest-frame episode triggered sharp reactions from multiple named figures, with Steve Davis leading the criticism on BBC and other outlets echoing the frustration.

“Mark Allen and Wu Yize played out the longest frame in Crucible history during the second session of their World Championship semi-final”

BBC

The BBC quoted Davis directly: “In a nutshell that frame is an embarrassment to snooker, and the referees' and the players' association need to try to work out a way so that never happens again.”

BBC also reported that Stephen Hendry called for the German official to end the stalemate much earlier, saying: “The referee's got to get involved here, in my opinion. This is the dark side of snooker.”

Kyren Wilson added a separate critique, stating: “I think Marcel Eckardt should've called that a lot earlier. That game was going nowhere, quite painful – but the fight and determination from Mark Allen is still incredible.”

John Parrott, who won the world title in 1991, told BBC: “I've never seen a frame like it in all my years. I've never seen it this bad. Mark Allen says he doesn't want a re-rack, but the referee is in charge and the referee should be in charge.”

The BBC also said World Snooker ruled out making changes around re-racks and said it felt that “the rule was applied correctly” by the referee.

In the Independent’s account, Parrott described the frame as “This is the most bizarre frame I’ve ever seen here at the Crucible Theatre.”

The Independent further quoted Hendry’s view that “The referee needs to call this, I’m afraid. In my opinion he should have called it a while ago … This is the dark side of snooker.”

While Wu and Allen were tied at 7-7 after the record-breaking frame, the other semi-final between John Higgins and Shaun Murphy also unfolded with its own momentum swings.

The Guardian described how Shaun Murphy’s mission of ending a “21-year wait for a second world crown” would not be straightforward as he was pegged back by the four-time champion John Higgins.

Daily Express

The Guardian reported that Murphy took a 3-1 lead into the mid-session interval, but Higgins then won three of the final four frames of the opening session to level at 4-4.

The Guardian included specific break details, saying Murphy started brightly with “taking the opener 110-1 with breaks of 42 and 68,” while Higgins, playing his “100th match at the Crucible,” won the second frame 65-27.

The Guardian also described a “stunning century” in the next frame that sent Murphy into the interval with a 3-1 lead, and then a lengthy safety battle when play resumed.

It said Higgins emerged victorious to reduce the deficit to a single frame, and that a missed pink left the door ajar for Murphy but he “could not make the most of his opportunity and Higgins closed out a 63-41 win to square the match at 3-3.”

The Guardian added that Murphy won frame seven with a “smart break of 34” but could not prevent Higgins from pulling level once more as a “50 break proved enough.”

In the Daily Express live-style coverage, Higgins was described as taking a “two-frame lead into the Saturday afternoon session,” with the score tied at “11-11” before the Scotsman pulled away with “a couple of frames to go into the final day of action.”

As the semi-finals moved into the next scheduled play, the sources focused on both the immediate match implications and the governing response to the record frame.

The BBC said play would resume from “10:00 BST on Saturday,” with both Wu and Allen still “10 frames away from the winning line,” after the shortened session ended 7-7.

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It also reported that World Snooker ruled out making changes around re-racks and said it felt that “the rule was applied correctly” by the referee, even after pundits demanded earlier intervention.

The BBC’s explanation of the re-rack decision-making process referenced the rule that “The referee shall offer the players the immediate option of re-starting the frame,” and it noted that if a player objects, “the referee shall allow play to continue” with a stated period and that if the situation remains unchanged, “the referee shall nullify all scores and reset all balls.”

The Independent’s account described how the threat of a re-rack shaped the final outcome, with Eckardt warning he would call a re-rack unless the players resolved the stalemate in their next three shots.

The Guardian’s narrative of the earlier Thursday evening session also set up the stakes for the next day, with Wu’s 6-2 lead and Allen’s comeback to 2-2 before the power outage, and then Wu’s eventual 91-42 closure.

In the Daily Express coverage, the match was described as continuing with “extra frames to be played” after the Friday session, and it stated the pairs were “tied 7-7” with the next session beginning at “10am on May 2.”

Meanwhile, the BBC’s account of the stalemate’s effect on scheduling underscored that the impasse had practical consequences, leaving only six of the eight frames scheduled and delaying the other semi-final.