After enduring a difficult start to the 2016–17 season where he failed to get beyond the second round of the first eight ranking events, Fu came back from 5–2 down to defeat Jamie Jones in the quarter-finals of the UK Championship. Leading 5–4 against Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals, he lost the final two frames to lose 5–6. Before the end of 2016, Fu reached the final of the Scottish Open, with his closest game being a 4–3 victory over Neil Robertson in the fourth round; Fu did not lose more than a frame in his other five matches. In the final against John Higgins, trailing 1–4, he won eight frames in a row to win the match 9–4. Throughout the tournament, Fu made 11 centuries and 21 more breaks over 50 in seven matches.