John Higgins will try to turn a 13-11 lead over Shaun Murphy into victory this afternoon in their enthralling World Snooker Championship semi-final at the Crucible Theatre, as he continues his quest to become the oldest world champion in history.
Higgins was particularly impressive in Friday’s two sessions, as the 50-year-old Scot seeking his fifth world tile edged ahead of his English foe, sealing an overnight advantage with a superb break of 101 in the final frame of the day, meaning he requires four more for victory, while Murphy needs six.
Meanwhile, history was made in the other semi-final on Friday afternoon as Mark Allen and Wu Yize played out the longest frame in Crucible history. The epic encounter lasted for more than 100 minutes and saw some of the bizarrest scenes ever witnessed on the baize. A logjam was created when eight reds and the black were stuck over the right corner pocket, leading to a stalemate that lasted for around 55 minutes before Wu somehow prevailed.
Their third session on Saturday morning was much more fluent as Wu made breaks of 142, 140 and 121 but Allen managed to hang with the 22-year-old rising talent to end the session level at 11-11. They will play to a finish in the race to 17 frames from 7pm this evening.
Follow all the latest scores and action from the World Championship at the Crucible below.
Inside snooker’s Chinese match-fixing scandal – and how they got caught
Some pre-session reading for you: Three years on from the news that rocked the snooker world, Lawrence Ostlere delves into the story of an unprecedented scandal that saw 10 Chinese players banned from the game.
Read the full story:
Mark Allen and Wu Yize locked at 11-11 ahead of finale
Yesterday’s session between Mark Allen and Wu Yize was a slog – not only was there the record 100-minute frame but another frame that lasted more than an hour. In fact, they only had time to play six of the scheduled eight frames…
However, it was a different story this morning with a glorious session playing out between the two men.
Wu made breaks of 142, 140 and 121 but Allen managed to hang with the 22-year-old rising talent thanks to runs of 56, 85 and 99 to end the session level at 11-11.
They will play to a finish in the race to 17 frames from 7pm this evening. It should be a cracker
‘An embarrassment to snooker’: Pundits fume as Mark Allen and Wu Yize play out longest frame in Crucible history
Here’s a reminder of what happened yesterday, when an extraordinary frame lasted for a record 100 minutes and 21 seconds as Mark Allen and Wu Yize engaged in a bizarre stalemate during their World Snooker Championship semi-final.
But not everyone was impressed…
John Higgins builds lead over Shaun Murphy
There’s been little to separate Higgins and Murphy so far but the 50-year-old Scot – bidding to become the oldest world finalist in history – finally edged ahead on Friday evening.
He made breaks of 70 and 101 to turn an 11-11 tie into a 13-11 advantage. “He always finds another gear, it’s what he’s always done,” purred seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry on the BBC’s coverage.
Can he now get the four frames he needs to win?
John Higgins v Shaun Murphy
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the World Snooker Championship semi-finals.
We’re in for a fascinating afternoon of action as John Higgins leads Shaun Murphy 13-11 in the race to 17 frames, with the winner sealing a place in the final.
This has been a superb match so far. How will it play out this afternoon?
