Superb Murphy beats Xiao with session to spare

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• Published24 April 2026
• 146 Comments

Shaun Murphy produced a superb performance to thrash China's Xiao Guodong 13-3 and become the first player into the 2026 World Championship quarter-finals.

Murphy, a champion at the Crucible in 2005 and runner-up in 2009, 2015 and 2021, led 6-2 overnight against China's world number nine Xiao Guodong, before winning seven of the eight frames in Friday's first session.

It meant the 43-year-old eighth seed won his match with a session to spare.

Murphy made breaks of 93, 66, 103, 69, 115 and 103 in Friday's session to set up a last-eight tie against the winner of the all-Chinese match between reigning world champion Zhao Xintong and Ding Junhui, with the quarter-final beginning on Tuesday and finishing on Wednesday.

"I'm really pleased with how I played. I'm delighted," said Murphy. "It does not happen often that you win with a session to spare, because everyone is so good.

"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. It's not been through the lack of trying."

Murphy last reached the quarter-final stage in 2021, when he went on to the final and lost to Mark Selby, and said he still feels he can improve.

"I'm loving the game, loving practice and still think I can get better," said Murphy. "The best days are still ahead of me."

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Hawkins with a four-frame lead over Williams

Three-time winner Mark Williams reached the final last year and would become the oldest world champion if, at 51, he could win the tournament for a fourth time.

His last-16 opponent Barry Hawkins took the opening frame of their match with a break of 127, and the pair alternated frames with Williams making a 124 in frame four and 65 in frame six.

The Welshman moved ahead for the first time by taking the seventh frame, only for Hawkins to win the last of the session, helped by a run of 73, to draw level at 4-4.

Their match resumed in the evening session with Hawkins making breaks of 63, 66 and 113 to go 7-4 ahead.

But a potentially pivotal moment came in the 12th frame when Williams missed a pot on the pink into the middle, only for it to head diagonally into the yellow pocket for a fortunate, but critical frame to make it 7-5.

Hawkins moved 9-5 ahead, only for Williams to snatch the 15th on the black, but the English player ended with a break of 89 in the final frame to lead 10-6.

He only needs three more frames for victory when play resumes on Saturday evening (19:00 BST).

The eagerly awaited match between China's first ranking event winner Ding and its first world champion Zhao is level at 4-4.

In a tie which could become the most-watched match in snooker history, because of its appeal to the Chinese audience, the pair alternated the opening five frames, with Zhao's break of 116 in frame four the highlight.

Zhao won the sixth and seventh frames, but Ding sneaked the eighth on the black, by a scoreline of 62-61, to leave it level before the second session on Saturday afternoon (14:30).

The tie between 2024 winner Kyren Wilson and former world number one Mark Allen is set for a thrilling finish on Saturday morning (10:00).

Northern Ireland's Allen had been 5-0 ahead on Thursday, before Wilson won the final three frames of the session.

The Englishman maintained his form by winning three in a row, following breaks of 71, 52, 112 to lead 6-5, but an excellent match swung again, with Allen winning four of the last five frames to hold a 9-7 advantage.

The highlight was a break of 140 from Allen in frame 15, the second time he has made that score in this year's Crucible event.

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