Chang Bingyu Stuns Ronnie O'Sullivan to Set Up All-Chinese Wuhan Open Final
Chang Bingyu beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-3 in the Wuhan Open semi-final on 28 August 2026, reaching the first ranking final of his career and guaranteeing an all-Chinese title match in Wuhan (BBC Sport; RTE Sport).
It was the 24-year-old's first-ever win over O'Sullivan, a seven-time world champion who turned 50 this year. Chang was unseeded coming into the tournament (TNT Sports). His run to the final included a 5-2 quarter-final win over Ali Carter (WST).
The semi-final swung early. Chang took the opening two frames before O'Sullivan levelled at 2-2. Chang moved 4-2 clear, O'Sullivan pulled one back to 4-3, and then Chang closed out the match by winning the final two frames with breaks of 69 and 48 — a break being a player's total points scored in a single visit to the table (BBC Sport).
O'Sullivan had reached the semi-finals by beating Mark Selby 5-3 the previous day, a result that improved his head-to-head record against Selby to 17-12 (WST). He has not won a ranking event — a tournament that counts towards the world standings — for over two years (BBC Sport).
After the defeat, O'Sullivan said he plans to see out the next 18 months and does not want to "throw the towel in just yet," committing himself to playing through to early 2028 (BBC Sport; RTE Sport).
Chang will face either Xiao Guodong or Zhao Xintong — the new world number one — in Saturday's final, with both players Chinese (BBC Sport; RTE Sport).
For a sport that has invested heavily in China's player pipeline and arena audience, an all-Chinese ranking final on home soil is a milestone the tour has been building towards. Chang, unseeded and still early in his professional career, beating O'Sullivan to get there adds the kind of theatre snooker trades on: the long walk back to your chair, the crowd holding its breath, a young player holding his nerve when the great name across the table is fighting to stay in it.
