0.01 Curse Strikes Again: Yiheng Wang 2.77 3x3 AsR Single

Yiheng Wang becomes the 3rd person to break the sub3 barrier with a 2.77 single at Maoming Open 2026, 0.01 seconds off the 3x3 world record single.

Yiheng Wang recorded a 2.77-second solve at Maoming Open 2026, finishing just 0.01 seconds off Teodor Zajder’s 2.76 world record set in February of this year. This is the third official sub-3 single in competition. He had a 34-move solution, including a 14-move F2L completed in under one second. The result also means Yiheng takes back the Asian Record from Xuanyi Geng, who recorded a 2.80 in April as part of his 3.71 world record average.

Yiheng now holds the world record average of 3.51 and the WR2 single of 2.77, taking back both records from Xuanyi. This adds even more heat to their rivalry and should remain a major storyline in the coming months.

This also marks the third time Yiheng has finished 0.01 seconds off the world record single. After his 3.08 in February of last year, he recorded two 3.06 singles in July 2025, both just 0.01 off the world record at the time. He also lost to Max Park in the 3x3 final at the 2023 World Championship in South Korea by 0.01 seconds. The pattern has led some in the community to jokingly refer to it as Yiheng’s “0.01 curse.”

Watch the video of the single here:

This was achieved as part of a 4.06 average in the final: 3.87, (5.63), (2.77), 4.33, 3.99

The video also shows a noticeably cleaner timer starting technique from Yiheng. His starts have previously generated discussion within the community over what is commonly referred to as “sliding,” where the transition from releasing the timer to picking up the cube can be extremely tight.

On the 2.77, there is much clearer separation between Yiheng starting the timer and the beginning the solve. It is a small detail, but a notable one given the attention his starting technique has received in the past.