Shaun Murphy reached the semi-finals of the British Open in 2004
Shaun Murphy overcame a resilient Judd Trump, the world number one, to secure his place in the quarter-finals of the British Open in Cheltenham.
Murphy, representing England and fresh from his Masters victory in January, appeared to be in control with a 3-1 advantage. However, he conceded successive frames before ultimately clinching a 4-3 victory against his compatriot.
Trump’s early exit mirrors his experience at last week’s English Open, where he was defeated in the last 16. He is still seeking his first semi-final appearance of the season.
Murphy is now set to face fellow Englishman Mitchell Mann in the quarter-finals, following Mann’s 4-2 triumph over Barry Hawkins.
Mann, currently ranked 91st in the world, has only reached the quarter-final stage of a ranking tournament on one prior occasion, at the Northern Ireland Open in 2021.
Defending champion Mark Selby delivered a statement performance, securing a dominant 4-0 victory over China’s Chang Bingyu.
In other matches, Mark Williams defeated reigning English Open champion Mark Allen 4-3 in the third round. He then returned for the evening session, securing a 4-1 win against China’s Lei Peifan.
Selby and Williams are poised to compete in a quarter-final showdown, a rematch of the 2023 final where the Welshman emerged victorious to claim his second title, having also won in 2021.
Nineteen-year-old Stan Moody prevailed in a closely contested match against Ali Carter, winning 4-3. He will now face Louis Heathcote, who defeated Liam Davies of Wales 4-2.
Moody, ranked 55th worldwide, demonstrated maturity and composure beyond his years, reaching his second ranking quarter-final.
Comments can not be loaded
To load Comments you need to enable JavaScript in your browser