Wu cements his place among the legends with big win in Beijing

Billiards Veteran Wu Jiaqing called upon all of his two decades’ experience Saturday to win the final of the 2026 Beijing Top Duya Legends Golden Nine Open competition on Saturday, pocketing the massive ¥10 million ($1.47m) top prize.

Wu, the youngest world champion in the history of American nine-ball, saw off the challenge from Zheng Xiaohuai, a rising player who has gained prominence on the Chinese billiards circuit in recent years, 140-82.

"It is very difficult to win this title, and I feel extremely fortunate that my dream has come true,"and emotional Wu said afterward.

"It is also a great honor to witness the emergence of a tournament with a prize fund reaching 10 million yuan during my 30-year career, and to win the championship."

Zheng, 24, said reaching the final of such a high-profile event had been a valuable experience.

“It was not easy to make it to the final of a tournament of this scale," he said. "I want to thank everyone who has supported me."

It was indeed a tough task. The 18-day, 1,376 match tournament, which also served as the global finals of the second Duya Legends Golden Nine International Tour, brought together 640 players from more than 40 countries and regions in the Chinese capital.

Recognized as an international A-level event by the World Pool-Billiard Association, the tournament was upgraded this year to the Beijing International Open, reflecting the growing international profile of Chinese-style nine-ball.

Held in Beijing's Changping district, which also hosted last year's global finals —when Chu Bingjie defeated Zhou Long to lift the championship trophy, considered one of the sport's highest honors — the event received support from the World Pool-Billiard Association and the China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises.

It was jointly organized by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports and the People's Government of Changping District, with local sports authorities and organizers in Xiaotangshan town serving as co-hosts.