Murphy in control in semi-final

Shaun Murphy won all four frames before the mid-session interval to stretch his lead over Neil Robertson to 13-7 in their Betfred.com World Championship semi-final.

The 26-year-old had not been flattered by his 9-7 overnight lead, and despite not being at his best this morning he was too strong for erratic Australian Robertson.

Murphy, the 2005 champion, was battling for a place in the final where his likely opponent was John Higgins. The Scot held a 15-9 lead over Mark Allen ahead of this afternoon’s concluding session of that match.

Murphy threatened to make the second 147 maximum break of the championship in the second frame this morning, but missed a difficult 11th red along the top cushion.

Had he completed the breaks of all reds and blacks, followed by the colours, he would have shared the bounty of £157,000 which Stephen Hendry is due to receive.

Scotsman Hendry had made his 147 to go 5-2 up against Murphy in the quarter-finals, but it proved a turning point in the match as the seven-time champion lost his focus.

Neither Murphy nor Robertson could have claimed to be at their most fluent in the first four frames today.

The pace was slow and the quality mostly mediocre, particularly from left-hander Robertson.

Murphy was marginally the better player, and he secured the opening three frames to go 12-7 ahead.

He made a break of 43 and then potted brown, blue and pink to clinch the first frame, before knocking in the first 10 reds and blacks at the start of the next.

He opted to take the trickiest of the remaining reds early but it wriggled out of the pocket to Murphy’s understandable disappointment.

Robertson opted to play on from 80-0 behind and briefly threatened to get the snookers he required, but Murphy seized his chance to pot a long red to secure a four frame lead.

That became a five frame advantage when Robertson blundered.

Blue had been all he needed to secure frame 19 but the 27-year-old from Melbourne played a power shot and missed when he only needed to roll the ball into the pocket from mid-table.

Murphy cleared the three remaining colours to pinch the frame.

Robertson desperately needed to respond but Murphy, thanks to a clinching break of 41, went to the interval in complete control.