Shaun Murphy stormed into the world championship semi-finals in Sheffield as the defending champion, Zhao Xintong, became the 21st player to fall victim to the so-called 'Crucible curse'. Murphy's 13-10 triumph means Zhao joins the list of first-time winners who have failed to return the following year and successfully defend their crown.
Murphy's Strong Finish
Murphy won four of the first five frames of the final session to turn an 8-8 overnight deadlock into a 12-9 lead. Zhao clawed one frame back to keep his hopes alive, but the 43-year-old sealed victory with a break of 69. 'I knew going into it that nothing but my best would do and thankfully I found it in the third session,' said Murphy. The 2005 champion has increasingly found his form since squeaking out a 10-9 first-round win over Fan Zhengyi. 'It's one of the best wins of my career and I'm delighted to win it and get to the semi-finals. I've been churning out performances like this week in week out and it's been a real test of determination and perseverance, but I've managed to stay the course.'
Zhao told BBC Sport: 'Shaun played really well, he gave me big pressure and played perfect snooker today. He deserved to win. I felt some pressure [as defending champion] but I still felt all right. I tried to get better, but Shaun is a good player and he played very well so congratulations to him.'
Higgins Stages Comeback
Murphy will next face John Higgins, who sealed his place in the final four after carving out an attritional 13-10 win over the 2010 champion, Neil Robertson. Higgins, who eliminated Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 16, was behind for much of the match and started the final session 9-7 in arrears. The Scot came into his own in the later stages, as the Australian's bid to reach a second final crumbled under pressure. The four-time world champion won three frames in a row to move to the verge of victory, then fashioned a gritty break of 52 which eventually proved enough to get him over the line. 'It's a great achievement to get back to that one table,' Higgins said after booking his 12th Crucible semi-final. 'I'm just proud that I'm still in there fighting.'
Allen Capitalises on Hawkins Error
Mark Allen seized on a blunder by Barry Hawkins to book his place in the last four for the second time in four years. The game looked set for a deciding frame after Hawkins fluked a red and was faced with a simple tap up behind the pink to leave his opponent in all sorts of trouble. But Hawkins came up short with the cue ball, handing Allen the chance to clear up and win the match 13-11. 'I wouldn't have fancied going 12-12,' said Allen. 'My heart sank a little bit when he fluked that red out of the snooker and that summed up the match for me. I played 24 frames and I don't think I had to say sorry once.'
Hawkins, the 2013 runner-up, held the upper hand for most of the contest, with Allen required to haul back 7-4 and 8-6 deficits, but increasingly faltered on the big shots in the final session, leading to the dramatic conclusion. 'It's unforgivable not reaching it,' said Hawkins. 'I was worried about over-hitting it, believe it or not ... What a way to lose. It's a horrible feeling, knowing that you played an absolutely terrible shot. It's just gutting, a sinking feeling, after such a long match and playing well for the most part.'
'Every year I come here thinking I can win it and it's no different this year,' said Allen afterwards. 'The first hurdle is getting through that first round and the next one is getting to the one-table set-up. Then you want to give yourself a chance [in the final] on Sunday or Monday. I haven't done that yet and that's the next step for me.'
Wu Yize Advances
Allen will next face 22-year-old Wu Yize, who blasted 12 half-centuries or better in his 13-8 win over Hossein Vafaei. Resuming with a 10-6 lead, Wu made a break of 75 and then produced an exquisite 135 to reach the mid-session interval 12-8 ahead. When Iran's Vafaei broke down after a break of 70, the world No 10 booked his passage into the semis with a fine 55 clearance. Wu, widely considered to be China's next star player, now faces Allen with the winner set for their first Crucible final appearance.
