Wu into Crucible final after Allen misses simple black to win

Mark Allen suffered a devastating final-frame defeat by Wu Yize – missing a match-winning black off its spot in an extraordinary penultimate frame that would have taken him into his first World Championship final.

Wu, 22, who appears to be China’s new superstar in the making, looked down and out when he trailed 16-14, but reeled off three consecutive frames with breaks of 67, 52 and 71.

It was a heartbreaking conclusion for Allen, who broke down on 45 in the 31st frame and then somehow lost a nerve-shredding 32nd frame when he missed a simple black to win as the weight of pressure told.

“I had my chances and completely blew it to be honest. I always fancy myself under pressure, but I didn’t cope with it today,” Allen told BBC Sport.

“When you miss a black like that you don’t deserve to win. I had more than enough chances to win it. I wish Wu good luck.

“I think he’s going to be world champion. Even though I’m devastated to lose that match, I think the right person is in the final.”

Wu will now face England’s Shaun Murphy in the showpiece match, which begins on Sunday at 13:00 BST.

His victory means China have a finalist for a second successive year and it vindicates his decision to move to the UK as a 16-year-old to pursue his dream.

Wu, who initially lived in a windowless flat and slept on the same bed as his father after the move, is now just one win away from the sport’s biggest prize and a winner’s cheque of £500,000.

And judging by the manner he advanced past Peifan Lei, Mark Selby, Hossein Vafaei and now Allen, he looks ready follow to in Zhao Xintong’s footsteps – having been tipped as a future world champion by both Ronnie O’Sullivan and Murphy.

“I feel I am still not recovering from the nerves. I feel sorry for Mark,” said Wu after his triumph.

“I felt like I was losing the match, especially the second black in that frame. But I was able to take the opportunity.

“In the last session I made some mistakes in safety play and then towards the end I was lucky. I want to give my best efforts and everything I have got to try to win the World Championship.”

For most of the evening Allen had held himself together, enjoying runs of 82 and 57 as he edged in front three times only to be pegged back at 14-14 by Wu, who rarely deviated from his attacking style and was rewarded with breaks of 50, 126 and 74.

Allen regained the initiative with a composed 65, and when Wu missed a red to the left middle while on 58, it allowed his opponent to deliver a devastating riposte to move 16-14 up.

But with the winning line in sight Allen twitched on a red to the middle in the following frame to set in chain a remarkable sequence of events.

Northern Irishman Allen had been aiming to become the oldest first-time finalist in Crucible history, having lost in the semi-finals twice previously.

However, at the age of 40 and with 20 failed attempts to win snooker’s greatest prize behind him, he may now be left wondering whether his time will ever come.

Murphy had earlier powered to a 17-15 victory over John Higgins to reach his fifth Crucible final.

He is bidding to collect a second title, 21 years on from his first – having finished as the runner-up on his three previous appearances in the Championship match.

The first of those was in 2009 at the hands of the four-time champion, Higgins, who ran out a comfortable 18-9 winner.

There was considerably more tension this time around and, more importantly for Murphy, no repeat of the outcome as he roared back from a 13-11 overnight deficit and crucially reeled off four consecutive frames from 15-13 down.

“I am over the moon. I am exhausted. I was in a match with John, four sessions, a world semi-final, it does not get much more difficult than that,” Murphy said.

“I knew I needed a good start and two centuries off the bat was good. Of course it counted for nothing because two frames later I was back where I started.

“I knew I had to go to the well again. I knew I had done it once and could do it again. I didn’t expect to win all four after the resumption but I got my chances and scored well.”

World number eight Murphy opened with sensational breaks of 132 and 127 and looked to be in his element as he stomped around the auditorium.

But his fast start was initially made to count for nothing as Higgins, who was barely afforded any table time in those frames, exhibited the resolve and superb fighting qualities that have underscored his glittering career.

Higgins, who turns 51 later this month and was hoping to become the oldest ever finalist, took a scrappy 27th frame and then crafted an 88 break.

While those contributions lacked the sparkle of Murphy’s earlier efforts they briefly restored his two-frame advantage.

Murphy’s third century break of the session reduced his arrears and, when the Scot missed a black to the right corner and also played a loose safety shot in the next frame, he was clinically punished as his opponent compiled a 78.

Higgins failed to cut a red into the left corner pocket and Murphy missed a blue into the top-right corner in the 31st frame that eventually went the way of the 2005 winner.

In a tense 32nd frame, Higgins broke down on 50 and Murphy missed a red with the rest before he secured his place in snooker’s most prestigious match.

And he will now look to join an exclusive club of six players to have won multiple world titles since the tournament’s move to South Yorkshire in 1977.

John Parrott, 1991 world champion on BBC Two:

What character Shaun Murphy has shown.

We quite rightly always talk about John Higgins’ character – Shaun has shown plenty in that match.

I think of the two players John will be fairly honest about it and say Shaun probably hit the ball better.

But it’s an amazing achievement for John to still be playing so well.