Sawt Falasteen - China's Wu holds slender lead in World Snooker Championship final

Wu, bidding to become the second youngest world snooker champion after Stephen Hendry, lost the first five frames on Monday to squander the 10-7 lead he established on Sunday.

But the 22-year-old hit back to win the final three frames of the session and kept the title in his sights.

Wu is aiming to emulate the achievement of his compatriot Zhao Xintong, who became the first Chinese player to win the world title last year.

The magnitude of the occasion had appeared to weigh heavy on Wu, who missed far too many easy balls in Monday's opening session at the Crucible Theatre.

England's Murphy, looking to win his second world title after his 2005 triumph, capitalised on Wu's mistakes to drag himself back into the final.

A missed blue in the opening frame set the tone for a testing first four frames as Murphy pulled one back after a tactical battle, then hit breaks of 76 and 52 after Wu had been first at the table.

After Murphy won his fourth frame in a row, Wu headed straight for the stage door in a desperate bid to steady his nerves.

Faced with the possibility of becoming only the fifth player to suffer a full session whitewash in Crucible history, Wu showed impressive composure to turn the momentum back in his favour.

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST