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‘I can’t believe it!’ – Mark Allen misses winning pot
Mark Allen suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the final frame against Wu Yize, missing a crucial black ball off its spot in the penultimate frame that would have secured his place in his first World Championship final.
Wu, 22, seemingly on the cusp of becoming China’s next snooker superstar, had appeared to be faltering at 16-14 down. However, he rallied with three consecutive frames, highlighted by breaks of 67, 52, and 71.
The loss was particularly crushing for Allen, who faltered on a break of 45 in the 31st frame and then, under immense pressure, missed a straightforward black in the 32nd, costing him the match.
The Northern Irishman had been aiming to become the oldest first-time finalist in Crucible history, having previously reached the semi-final stage twice.
At 40 years old, and with 20 unsuccessful attempts to claim snooker’s most prestigious title, he may now be left contemplating whether his opportunity has passed.
Wu will now compete against England’s Shaun Murphy in the final, scheduled to begin on Sunday at 13:00 BST.
Shaun Murphy won his first World Championship 21 years ago – if he triumphs again it will be the longest gap between two world crowns
Earlier, Shaun Murphy secured a 17-15 victory over John Higgins, advancing to his fifth Crucible final.
The Englishman is now vying for a second title, 21 years after his first, having been runner-up in his three previous Championship match appearances.
His first final appearance was in 2009, where he was defeated by four-time champion John Higgins with a score of 18-9.
This time, the tension was significantly higher, and crucially for Murphy, he avoided a repeat outcome by recovering from a 13-11 overnight deficit and stringing together four consecutive frames from 15-13 down.
“I am over the moon. I am exhausted. A match with John, four sessions, a world semi-final – it doesn’t get much more difficult than that,” Murphy commented.
“I knew I needed a good start, and two centuries straight away was good. Of course, it counted for nothing because two frames later I was back where I started.”
“I knew I had to dig deep again. I knew I had done it once and could do it again. I didn’t expect to win all four after the resumption, but I got my chances and scored well.”
World number eight Murphy initiated the match with impressive breaks of 132 and 127, appearing comfortable in the arena.
However, his early dominance was initially negated as Higgins, who had limited table time in those frames, demonstrated the resilience and fighting spirit that have characterized his illustrious career.
Higgins, who will turn 51 later this month and had hoped to become the oldest finalist in history, secured a scrappy 27th frame before constructing an 88 break.
While these contributions lacked the brilliance of Murphy’s earlier efforts, they briefly restored his two-frame advantage.
Murphy’s third century break of the session narrowed the gap, and when the Scot missed a black to the right corner and played a loose safety shot in the subsequent frame, he was clinically punished as his opponent compiled a 78.
Higgins then missed a red into the left corner pocket, and Murphy missed a blue into the top-right corner in the 31st frame, which eventually went in favor of the 2005 champion.
In the tense 32nd frame, Higgins broke down on 50, and Murphy missed a red with the rest before ultimately securing his place in snooker’s most prestigious match.
He will now aim to join the exclusive group of six players who have won multiple world titles since the tournament moved to South Yorkshire in 1977.
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Shaun Murphy holds nerve to reach final
John Parrott, 1991 world champion on BBC Two:
Shaun Murphy has shown remarkable character.
We often talk about John Higgins’ character, and Shaun has certainly displayed plenty in that match.
I think, of the two players, John will honestly admit that Shaun probably struck the ball better.
But it’s still an amazing achievement for John to be playing so well.
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