Shaun Murphy clawed back a 36-point deficit in the deciding frame to secure a nail-biting 10-9 win over Chinese qualifier Fan Zhengyi in the first round of the World Snooker Championship. The pair traded blows throughout a thrilling second session, with Fan moving to the verge of victory before Murphy drew on his experience to nudge home with a superb break of 50.
Earlier, Murphy took to social media to lambast an audience member who berated one of his shots during the pair’s opening session. He wrote on Instagram: “Just a friendly reminder that if you’re sat on the front row in the Crucible and I play a shot that may not work for a particular reason, it’s probably best not to say ‘s*** shot’ out loud. I’ve got ears.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan started his campaign with a rare misstep, accidentally heading towards the wrong table before being steered right by referee Rob Spencer. He nevertheless emerged with a 7-2 lead over China’s He Guoqiang, compiling breaks of 72, 97, a century, 52 and 86. He will return on Wednesday needing three frames to reach round two.
Judd Trump sealed his place in the second round with a 10-5 win over Gary Wilson. Despite being world No 1, Trump said he enjoys flying under the radar: “I enjoy that other people are being spoken about a lot more, because all the pressure is on them. I know deep down I’m more than good enough to win it, but I enjoy being the underdog.”
Liam Pullen made four half-centuries but trails 13th seed Chris Wakelin 5-4 after the first session of their first-round match, which concludes on Wednesday. The 20-year-old debutant delivered a crucial break of 58 to win the final frame and stay in contention.
