World Championship: Allen, Wu Locked at 7-7 After Marathon Frame

Record 100-minute frame ends even session between Allen and Wu

Mark Allen and Wu Yize played the longest frame in Crucible history, 100 minutes, before ending their session tied at 7-7.

Despite winning five of six frames, Allen couldn’t take the lead as the match heads to a decider...

Mark Allen and Wu Yize played out the longest frame in World Championship history in a second session that swung both ways, leaving them tied at 7-7 heading into the decider. Allen won five of the six completed frames, but the score remained level.  

Down 2-6 overnight, Allen hit back strongly. A scrappy opening frame saw both players miss chances before Allen took it after a foul. He then edged a tense, hour-long frame that went down to snookers, before stepping up a gear in the next.  

 

Allen produced the tournament’s highest break so far with a 145 total clearance to cut the gap. As Wu lost his composure, Allen levelled at 6-6 and moved ahead for the first time with a 121 clearance.  

Just when it looked like Allen would run away with it, the next frame took a bizarre turn.

Stalemate at the Black Breaks the Flow

A missed black left awkwardly over the corner pocket, freezing the table in a tactical standoff as neither player wanted to disturb the cluster of reds.  

After firing in his fifth century in a row to take the lead, Mark Allen found himself locked in a tense stand off with Wu Yize before eventually choosing to foul the black to break the deadlock 👀

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— TNT Sports (@tntsports) May 1, 2026

Safety exchanges dragged on until the referee warned of a re-rack. Allen, ahead but stuck, deliberately potted the black to force action, but it backfired. Wu capitalized, building enough chances to take control and clinch the frame on the pink after 100 minutes - the longest ever at the Crucible.

“In a nutshell, that frame is an embarrassment to snooker. The referees and players’ association need to ensure it never happens again,” said six-time world champion Steve Davis.

The longest frame in Crucible history 🤯

Wu Yize wins a chaotic 100 minute frame to level the semi-final at 7-7 💫

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— TNT Sports (@tntsports) May 1, 2026

The odd finish slowed Allen’s momentum but didn’t derail it. After a session that swung from fluent centuries to a near-standstill stalemate, the match is evenly poised at 7-7.