Shaun Murphy hits top form to end Zhao Xintong’s title defence

April 29, 2026

TL;DR

Shaun Murphy defeated defending champion Zhao Xintong 13-10 to reach the World Championship semi-finals.
Zhao Xintong's loss means he is the 21st first-time winner to fail to defend his title, a phenomenon known as the 'Crucible curse'.
Murphy secured victory by winning four of the first five frames in the final session to build a decisive lead.
Mark Allen advanced to the semi-finals for the second time in four years after Barry Hawkins made a crucial error on a simple shot.
Hawkins lamented his costly mistake, describing the loss as 'gutting'.
Neil Robertson leads John Higgins 9-7, and Wu Yize leads Hossein Vafaei 10-6 in the other ongoing quarter-final matches.

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