Murphy Marches Into Last Eight With Session to Spare — Xiao Thrashed 13-3
The Performance
Shaun Murphy has announced himself as a genuine 2026 World Championship contender after dismantling Xiao Guodong 13-3 on Friday, becoming the first player to book a quarter-final spot at the Crucible. This wasn't a scrappy, grinding win — it was a statement. Murphy, seeded eighth and carrying 21 years of Crucible pedigree, was in a different class across the board, wrapping up victory with an entire session to spare.
Having led 6-2 overnight, the 43-year-old came out in Friday's first session and simply refused to let Xiao back into the match. Murphy won seven of the eight frames played, compiling breaks of 93, 66, 103, 69, 115 and 103 in a display of relentless, high-quality snooker. Two centuries in a single session tells you everything about how well he is striking the ball right now. World number nine Xiao, no mug himself, could barely get a look in.
Murphy in His Own Words
The Magician was understandably buoyant afterwards, though characteristically measured. "I'm really pleased with how I played. I'm delighted," he said. "It does not happen often that you win with a session to spare, because everyone is so good." He also offered a tantalising hint at his hunger for a second world title. "I would not say I'm desperate to win another World Championship, but it is close. It's 21 years since that clueless 22-year-old came here and nicked the trophy from everyone. Since then I've been trying my hardest to get the trophy again." If that isn't motivation, what is?
Murphy's Crucible record is genuinely remarkable. He won the title in 2005, reached the final in 2009, 2015 and 2021, and has four quarter-final exits to his name as well. He knows this venue inside out, and his last run to the quarter-finals in 2021 ended in a final defeat to Mark Selby. At 43, there's every reason to believe he still has the game to go all the way — and he clearly agrees. "I'm loving the game, loving practice and still think I can get better," he said. "The best days are still ahead of me."
What's Next: A Mouth-Watering Last-Eight Tie
Murphy's reward is a quarter-final beginning on Tuesday against the winner of the blockbuster all-Chinese clash between reigning world champion Zhao Xintong and former finalist Ding Junhui. Whoever comes through that one, Murphy will be fully prepared — and after a performance like today's, he'll be feared by either opponent.
Elsewhere at the Crucible: Hawkins Leads Williams 10-6
In the other last-16 match in play on Friday, Barry Hawkins holds a commanding 10-6 lead over three-time world champion Mark Williams, with their match resuming on Saturday evening. Hawkins needs just three more frames to advance, though writing off Williams — who reached the final as recently as 2025 — would be foolish in the extreme.
It has been a match of fluctuating momentum. Hawkins opened with a 127 break in the very first frame, the pair then swapped frames with Williams making a tidy 124 in the fourth. After Williams edged ahead for the first time in frame seven, Hawkins restored parity with a run of 73 to go into the interval at 4-4. The evening session saw Hawkins find his rhythm with breaks of 63, 66 and 113 to move 7-4 clear, before a moment of pure fortune flipped a crucial frame. Williams missed a pot on the pink into the middle pocket, only for the ball to ricochet diagonally into the yellow pocket — a fluke, but a decisive one, keeping Williams alive at 7-5. Hawkins reasserted control to lead 9-5, Williams nicked the 15th on the black to make it 9-6, but Hawkins closed the session emphatically with an 89 break to take a four-frame cushion into Saturday.
At 51, Williams would become the oldest world champion in history if he could overturn the deficit and ultimately lift the trophy. Stranger things have happened at the Crucible — but Hawkins, a finalist himself in 2013, is playing with real conviction and looks the likely winner of this one.
Our Verdict on Murphy's Chances
Murphy's odds for the title will have shortened sharply after that display. Keep a close eye on the pre-quarter-final markets once the Zhao v Ding result comes in — backing Murphy at each stage of this tournament on an each-way or outright basis could still represent value depending on the draw. We'll have full quarter-final tips and odds comparisons once the last-16 picture is clearer. For now, Murphy is the form player in the bottom half of the draw, and that performance demands respect.
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