The silence in the arena was broken only by the crisp click of snooker balls. But this wasn’t just any match. This was a dismantling, a masterclass, a performance so utterly dominant it left even seasoned professionals questioning what they’d witnessed. Chang Bingyu had just delivered what many are calling the greatest performance in the history of a best-of-seven frame snooker match.
Against former World Champion Shaun Murphy, Chang didn’t just win – he obliterated. A flawless 4-0 victory, punctuated by four consecutive centuries, was astonishing enough. But the truly unbelievable statistic? Chang potted every single ball he attempted. Murphy, a player of immense skill, managed to pot just *one* ball in the entire match, a solitary response to Chang’s relentless onslaught of 524 points.
“That’s the best performance in a best of seven match I’ve ever seen,” a stunned Shaun Murphy confessed to the BBC. “If that was Ronnie O’Sullivan or Judd Trump it would be on the news. It was quite literally the best performance I’ve ever witnessed in a match of that length.” The sheer perfection of Chang’s play left Murphy feeling like a spectator in his own defeat, a helpless observer to a display of snooker artistry.
Chang himself was almost disbelieving. “Today it’s really incredible, I’ve never played so well in a match,” he admitted, humbled by his own performance. “It’s a performance that exceeded my expectations.” Yet, despite the magnitude of the victory, a quiet determination lingered. He acknowledged a gap remained between himself and the established elite, a challenge he was eager to overcome.
Reanne Evans, a twelve-time women’s world champion, didn’t hesitate in her assessment. “That has got to be the best performance ever on a snooker table,” she declared. She highlighted not just the century breaks, but the complete control Chang exhibited – his touch, his long potting, his positional play, all executed with an effortless grace that bordered on the supernatural. Every shot, she noted, seemed preordained, delivered without a moment’s hesitation.
But Chang’s story isn’t solely one of recent triumph. It’s a narrative marked by early promise, a devastating fall, and a remarkable resurgence. As a teenager, he was a prodigious talent, claiming the 2018 IBSF World Snooker Championship at just sixteen, and even crafting a maximum break at the age of fourteen. His arrival on the professional tour in 2019 sparked excitement, but progress was hampered by the disruption of the pandemic and a subsequent, deeply troubling scandal.
In December 2022, Chang admitted to fixing a match, a confession born not of malice, but of coercion. He revealed he’d been pressured by Liang Wenbo, who had placed substantial bets on the outcome without his knowledge. The revelation led to a lifetime ban for Liang and a three-year suspension for Chang, later reduced to two years following his full cooperation and remorse. It was a dark chapter, a painful lesson learned at a young age.
The tribunal acknowledged the circumstances, recognizing Chang’s youth, his vulnerability to influence, and the genuine regret he expressed. They understood he wouldn’t have acted without the threat imposed by Liang. While the offense was serious, the mitigating factors led to a reduced sentence, allowing Chang to return to the game he loved in December 2024.
His return has been nothing short of spectacular. A swift victory at the Asia-Pacific Snooker Championship paved the way for a stunning run on the professional circuit. He reached the final of the Scottish Open in December, defeating a string of top players – Stephen Maguire, Si Jiahui, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, and Mark Allen – before ultimately falling to Chris Wakelin.
Now, Chang is relentlessly honing his skills, dedicating himself to grueling practice sessions under the guidance of Coach Li Jianbing in China, and now at Ding Junhui’s academy in Sheffield. He spends six to seven hours a day at the table, driven by a singular focus: to reach the level of his childhood rivals, Wu Yize and Si Jiahui.
“Over the past two years, I have gained perspective,” Chang explained. “Now I approach matches with a much calmer mindset.” He views their success not as a source of envy, but as a powerful motivator, a benchmark to strive for. The young prodigy, once shadowed by controversy, is now focused on a future brimming with potential, a future where performances like the one against Shaun Murphy become the norm, not the exception.
