Murphy Ends Zhao's Crucible Dream in Style to Set Up Higgins Semi-Final
Murphy Advances to Last Four for Sixth Time
Shaun Murphy produced a composed and clinical display to defeat defending champion Zhao Xintong 13-10 at the Crucible Theatre on Wednesday, ending the Chinese star's bid to become only the second player in the modern era to retain the World Championship title. Murphy, 43, now advances to the semi-finals for the sixth time in his career, where he will face four-time champion John Higgins from 13:00 BST on Thursday.
Zhao had entered the quarter-final carrying the weight of a remarkable statistic: no first-time World Champion since the tournament relocated to Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in 1977 has ever successfully defended the title in a subsequent appearance. Despite a spirited challenge that saw the 29-year-old level the match at 8-8 on Tuesday evening after recovering from a 6-8 deficit, he was ultimately unable to match the Englishman's consistency when it mattered most across the closing stages.
Key Moments and Breaks
Murphy set the tone for Wednesday's concluding session by fashioning a break of 96 to move 9-8 ahead, a timely contribution that proved decisive in shifting the momentum firmly in his favour. When Zhao responded with a run of 71 to level at 9-9, it appeared the match might go deep into the evening. However, Murphy demonstrated exactly why he remains one of the tour's most dangerous Crucible performers, compiling breaks of 80 and 70 in successive frames to open up a 12-9 lead and place himself firmly on the verge of victory.
Zhao refused to surrender without a fight, producing an 81 to reduce the arrears to 12-10 and force a 23rd frame. The decisive moment arrived when Murphy picked out a demanding red to the middle pocket from the base of the pack — the kind of shot that separates the very best from the rest — and constructed a break of 69 to close out the match. With Zhao unable to manufacture the snooker he required, the 'Magician' completed what he himself described as "one of the best wins of my career."
Speaking to BBC Sport after the victory, Murphy was generous in his praise of his opponent. "I'm so in awe of Zhao Xintong and how he plays the game. When he is in full flow, he is mesmerising to watch," he said. "I just knew I had to play properly and knew I had to be somewhere near my best and I think I was." Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry, commentating for the BBC, described Murphy's overall performance as "flawless" — high praise given that Murphy had trailed 0-3 in the earlier stages of the contest.
Zhao's Record-Breaking Season in Context
Despite the defeat, Zhao's 2025-26 campaign has been nothing short of extraordinary. The 29-year-old became the first player in tour history to win all three events in the Players Series in a single season and only the third player to earn in excess of £1 million in prize money across one campaign (source: snooker.org). His status as Asia's first World Champion, achieved at the 2023 edition of this tournament, remains one of the sport's landmark results of the modern era. Murphy himself acknowledged as much, having referred to Zhao as the "best player on the planet" earlier in the week.
Higgins Makes History — Again
Murphy's semi-final opponent will be John Higgins, who produced his own commanding performance to defeat Neil Robertson 13-10 in the other quarter-final. Higgins, who turns 51 on 18 May, becomes the oldest semi-finalist at the Crucible since the great Ray Reardon reached the same stage at the age of 52 back in 1985 — a remarkable achievement that underscores the Scot's enduring longevity at the very top of the game (source: CueTracker).
Thursday's semi-final carries added historical weight as a rematch of the 2009 World Championship final, which Higgins won emphatically 18-9. Murphy has reached the final on two further occasions since that defeat — in 2015 and 2021 — but is yet to add a second world title to the one he claimed in 2005. He has been candid about his desire to rectify that, and at 43, the window for doing so is narrowing. Higgins, meanwhile, arrives at the penultimate stage having produced what many observers considered a vintage display against Robertson, suggesting the four-time champion still retains the quality to trouble anyone left in the draw.
With two players each chasing further Crucible glory and a combined total of five world titles between them, Thursday's contest promises to be one of the standout matches of this year's championship.
