Shaun Murphy has silenced two prominent BBC pundits following his stunning victory over defending champion Zhao Xintong at the 2026 World Snooker Championship. The 43-year-old, known as 'The Magician', triumphed 13-10 in the quarter-finals, keeping the so-called Crucible Curse alive and well.
Murphy's Landmark Victory
Murphy's win over Zhao, who had been tipped to become the first player ever to successfully defend a debut world title, could propel him to frontrunner status for the championship. The 2005 champion now faces John Higgins in the semi-finals, with a potential fifth Crucible final appearance at stake.
The Crucible Curse refers to the fact that no first-time winner has ever retained the title the following year. Despite enormous hype surrounding Zhao, he proved no exception, falling to Murphy in a closely contested match.
Pundits Proven Wrong
BBC commentators Dennis Taylor and Stephen Hendry had both backed Zhao to break the curse. Taylor, speaking to Betway in March, said: "I'm going to go for Zhao Xintong beating the Crucible Curse. That would be a big story. He'd be the first player ever to do that, and I think he can because he's capable of doing that."
Taylor added: "I just love the way he plays the game. He reminds me a lot of Ronnie [O'Sullivan] with the way he flows into the shot. He's just such a complete player and is great to watch."
Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry was broadly in agreement. Speaking to Metro on the eve of the tournament, he said: "I think he can [win the title again]. I think a lot depends on the draw, you can get a tricky draw. It doesn't matter how cool he is. When you walk down those stairs as defending champion, it's a massive thing."
Hendry added: "I don't think Chinese players have grown up in the culture of defending champions, Crucible curses and things like that. So it might not mean as much to him."
Zhao's Title Defence Falls Short
Hendry accurately predicted a second-round clash against Ding Junhui, which Zhao navigated with a 13-9 win. However, it was the quarter-final battle against Murphy that ultimately proved the pundits wrong as the 29-year-old failed to break the curse.
Murphy, seeded eighth this year, now faces the highest-remaining seed, No. 5 John Higgins. The winner will meet either 10th seed Wu Yize or 14th seed Mark Allen in the final.
The result has been hailed as one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, with Murphy proving that experience and resilience can overcome youthful talent and hype.
