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Shaun Murphy dashed Zhao Jintong’s hopes of lifting the Crucible Curse with an impressive 13-10 win as he advanced to the semi-finals of the World Championships.
Zhao, 29, was aiming to be the only first-time winner To protect his crown Since the tournament moved to the Crucible Theater in 1977.
However, he had no answer as the 43-year-old Englishman crashed out of the pot to reach the last four for the sixth time.
Murphy, who has made it his personal mission to repeat his success from 2005 when he claimed his one and only world title to date, went ahead in style, leading 9-8 with a break of 96.
While Zhao immediately responded with a 71, Murphy compiled breaks of 80 and 70 as he picked himself up in the next three frames to cruise to victory against a player hailed as “the best on the planet” earlier in the week.
A combination of 81 runs from Asia’s first world champion took the contest to the 23rd frame.
But when Murphy picked a magnificent red in the middle from the bottom of the pack he was able to produce a break of 69 and with Zhao unable to get the snooker he needed, the ‘Magician’ scored a famous victory.
On commentary, the seven-time world champion described Murphy, who was 3-0 down at one stage and lost motivation on Tuesday evening, as Zhao fought back from 8-6 to 8-8, delivering a “flawless” performance.
“I think when you’re playing great players – which Zhao is undoubtedly – it makes it easier for you,” Murphy told BBC Sport.
“I just knew I had to play the right way and knew I had to be somewhere close to my best and I think I was.
“I’m in awe of Zhao Jintong and how he plays the game. When he’s in full flow, he looks mesmerizing.
“It’s one of the best wins of my career.”
Zhao, who became the first player to win all three Players Series events in the same season and only the third player to bank more than £1m in a single campaign, added: “Sean played really well and put me under a lot of pressure. He played perfect snooker and deserved his win.
“He’s a very good player and congratulations to him. I give him some tough tall balls but he can do everything today.
“There was a lot of pressure on me this whole season but now it’s gone. I believe in myself to come back strong.”
