Shaun Murphy Beats Defending Champion Zhao Xintong 13-10 to Face John Higgins

Shaun Murphy knocked out defending champion Zhao Xintong in the World Snooker Championship quarter-finals at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, winning 13-10 to reach the last four.

BBC Sport described Murphy’s “superb 13-10 win” as he moved into the semi-finals, while Zhao had been “aiming to become the only first-time winner to defend his crown” since the tournament moved to the Crucible Theatre in 1977.

BBC

The BBC said Murphy, “the 43-year-old Englishman,” reached the last four for the sixth time, and that he will now face “four-time champion John Higgins.”

GB News similarly said Murphy defeated Zhao “13-10 in the quarter-finals at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield,” and framed it as the “infamous Crucible curse” continuing unbroken.

AP, via News-Times, reported that Zhao’s title defense ended in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, with the 29-year-old beaten 13-10 by Murphy of England.

Multiple outlets tied the result to the Crucible curse: ESPN said Murphy’s victory made Zhao the “21st player to fall victim” to it, while the Guardian said the defending champion became the “21st player to fall victim” to the “Crucible curse.”

In the match itself, BBC Sport reported that Murphy trailed 3-0 early, then responded with a run that put him on the cusp of victory, and that he wrapped up the win after Zhao could not get the snooker he required.

The quarter-final’s turning points were described in detail across outlets, starting with Zhao’s early control and Murphy’s late surge.

BBC Sport said Zhao had “no answer” after Murphy knocked in a barrage of pots, and it highlighted that Murphy “at one stage trailed 3-0” before Zhao fought back from “8-6 to 8-8” on Tuesday evening.

BBC

BBC also reported that Murphy got underway in style with a “96 break” to edge into a “9-8 lead,” and that he compiled breaks of “80 and 70” as he reeled off the next three frames.

Flashscore added that Zhao’s early 3-0 lead vanished as Murphy came back into the “best of 25 frames contest,” with the players “all square at 8-8 come the end of Tuesday's play,” and that Murphy edged ahead Wednesday with a “break of 98.”

GB News described the same overall arc but with different emphasis, saying Zhao raced to a “3-0 advantage with a stunning 122 break in the opening frame,” before Murphy won “five consecutive frames to take the lead by the end of the first session.”

In the decisive session, BBC Sport said Murphy picked out “a sublime red to the middle from the bottom of the pack,” constructed “a break of 69,” and closed out after Zhao could not get the snooker he required.

The Independent similarly said Murphy made breaks of “96, 80, 70 and 69” to secure a “13-10 triumph,” while CGTN described a more granular sequence in which Zhao rallied to tie at “8-8 after two sessions,” including a “break of 117” and a frame won “102-29” to level the contest at 8.

After the match, multiple outlets carried direct quotes from both players and from other figures in the sport.

“Zhao Xintong in action against Shaun Murphy during the quarter-final of the World Snooker Championship at The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England, April 28, 2026”

CGTN

BBC Sport included Murphy’s reaction to his performance, quoting him saying, “I just knew I had to play properly and knew I had to be somewhere near my best and I think I was.”

BBC also quoted Murphy on his respect for Zhao, saying, “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.”

Zhao’s comments to the BBC were also quoted, including, “Shaun played really well and put me under big pressure. He played perfect snooker and deserves his win.”

GB News added a different set of voices, reporting that Steve Davis hailed Murphy’s decisive session and told BBC viewers: “It was nigh on the perfect session. A super human performance.”

The Independent carried Murphy’s own explanation of his mindset, quoting him saying, “Because I certainly didn't feel that way. But you've got to sort of fake it till you make it.”

In the same post-match coverage, the Guardian quoted Zhao telling BBC Sport that, “Shaun played really well, he gave me big pressure and played perfect snooker today. He deserved to win.”

Murphy’s win set up a semi-final clash with John Higgins, but outlets also detailed the other half of the draw and how the remaining semi-finalists were decided.

BBC Sport said Higgins advanced by defeating Australia’s Neil Robertson 13-10, and it added that Higgins “delivered a vintage display” to reach the last four.

Flashscore

The Guardian similarly said Higgins sealed his place in the final four after a “13-10 win over the 2010 champion, Neil Robertson,” and it described Higgins as behind for much of the match before starting the final session “9-7 in arrears.”

AP coverage via News-Times said Higgins would play Murphy in the last four, with Higgins having beaten Robertson 13-10, and it also reported that Wu Yize would represent China in the semi-finals after beating Iran’s Hossain Vafaei 13-8.

ESPN and the Guardian both described Mark Allen’s semi-final berth, with ESPN saying Allen booked his place after an “unforgivable” blunder by Barry Hawkins and winning 13-11, while the Guardian said Allen seized on a blunder by Hawkins to win 13-11.

The Guardian included Hawkins’s quote about the shot that decided the match, saying, “It’s unforgivable not reaching it,” and it also quoted Allen saying, “Every year I come here thinking I can win it and it’s no different this year.”

ESPN said Allen would face Wu Yize, who reached the semis with a 13-8 win over Hossein Vafaei, and it described Wu as having “blasted 12 half-centuries or better.”

While all outlets agreed that Shaun Murphy beat Zhao Xintong 13-10 to reach the semi-finals, they framed the story differently—especially around the Crucible curse, the match narrative, and Murphy’s personal approach.

“Zhao, 29, was the first Chinese player to be crowned world champion when he beat three-time winner Mark Williams 18-12 in last year's final”

Flashscore

BBC Sport emphasized the match’s statistical and tactical arc, noting Murphy’s “superb 13-10 win,” his “96 break” to lead 9-8, and his “break of 69” to finish, and it also quoted Murphy describing Zhao as “the 'best on the planet'.”

GB News

GB News leaned into the Crucible curse framing and added extra personal detail, saying Murphy “deliberately avoided watching snooker coverage during the tournament, instead binge-watching Below Deck with his partner Joe to maintain focus,” and it also described Murphy’s tactical explanation to BBC Two about leaving Zhao “a few where I could go for it with freedom.”

The Independent focused on Murphy’s psychology and quoted him on acting confidence, saying, “I've been coming here since I was nine years of age and it still gets you every time you walk down those steps,” and it also used the phrase “fake it until you make it” as a central theme.

Flashscore and ESPN both highlighted the Crucible curse as a pattern, with Flashscore saying “No first-time world champion has retained the title the following year since the tournament moved to Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in 1977,” and ESPN saying Murphy’s win made Zhao the “21st player to fall victim” to the curse.

The Guardian, meanwhile, combined the curse framing with a broader tournament context, describing Murphy’s form since a “10-9 first-round win over Fan Zhengyi” and quoting Murphy’s “I knew going into it that nothing but my best would do and thankfully I found it in the third session.”

Even AP’s News-Times account, while brief, still anchored the result in the curse, stating that “still no first-time winner of the world championship has retained the title since the tournament moved” in 1977.

With Murphy through to the semi-finals, the next stage of the World Snooker Championship is set around a one-table showdown and the possibility of ending long-running patterns at the Crucible.

BBC Sport said Murphy’s meeting with John Higgins “begins at 13:00 BST on Thursday,” and it described the matchup as a “repeat of the 2009 final, which the Scot won 18-9.”

BBC also noted that Higgins “turns 51 on 18 May,” and that he becomes the “oldest semi-finalist since Ray Reardon, who reached the same stage aged 52 in 1985.”

ESPN framed the semi-final as a step toward a second title for Murphy, saying he is “two wins away from a second world title,” and it described the Crucible curse as a barrier for first-time winners.

The Independent added that Murphy is now aiming for a “second world title,” and it described his semi-final as “the first time he has reached the one-table set-up at the Crucible in five years.”

For the other semi-final, ESPN said Mark Allen will play Wu Yize, and it described Wu as “22-year-old” and as having “blasted 12 half-centuries or better” in his 13-8 win over Hossein Vafaei.

The Guardian similarly said Allen will face Wu Yize, and it described Wu’s path with a “fine 55 clearance” after Vafaei broke down, while also noting Wu’s “exquisite 135” earlier in the match.