Shaun Murphy into semi-finals as Zhao Xintong falls victim to ‘Crucible curse’

Zhao Xintong reacts after playing a shot during his quarter final match against Shaun Murphy, on day twelve of the Halo World Snooker Championship 2026 at the Crucible Theatre. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.

Shaun Murphy stormed into the World Snooker Championship semi-finals as defending champion Zhao Xintong became the 21st player to fall victim to the so-called ‘Crucible curse’.

Murphy’s 13-10 triumph extends the list of first-time winners who have failed to return the following year and successfully defend their crown.

Murphy won four of the first five frames of the final session to turn an 8-8 overnight deadlock into a 12-9 lead, and after Zhao clawed one back to keep his hopes alive, the 43-year-old sealed victory with a break of 69.

“I knew going into it that nothing but my best would do, and thankfully I found it in the third session,” said Murphy, the 2005 champion, who has increasingly found his form since squeaking out a 10-9 first-round win over Fan Zhengyi.

“It’s one of the best wins of my career and I’m delighted to win it and get to the semi-finals. I’ve been churning out performances like this week in, week out, and it’s been a real test of determination and perseverance, but I’ve managed to stay the course.” Mark Allen seized on an “unforgivable” blunder by his opponent Barry Hawkins to book his place in the last four for the second time in four years.

The Antrim man looked set to be hauled into a nerve-shredding decider after Hawkins fluked a red and was faced with a simple tap up behind the pink to leave Allen in all sorts of trouble.

But Hawkins inexplicably came up short with the cue ball, instead plunging himself into problems and ultimately gifting Allen the chance to clear up and win the match 13-11.

“I wouldn’t have fancied going 12-12,” admitted Allen. “My heart sank a little bit when he fluked that red out of the snooker and that summed up the match for me. I played 24 frames and I don’t think I had to say sorry once.” Hawkins, the 2013 runner-up, held the upper-hand for most of the contest, with Allen required to haul back 7-4 and 8-6 deficits, but increasingly faltered on the big balls in the final session, leading to the dramatic conclusion.

“It’s unforgivable not reaching it,” admitted Hawkins. “I was worried about over-hitting it, believe it or not. I didn’t want to twitch, throw a quick one in and push the white past. But I just didn’t go through the ball.

“I was just thinking, that’s it, game over. I was gutted, obviously. What a way to lose. It’s a horrible feeling, knowing that you played an absolutely terrible shot. It’s just gutting, a sinking feel, after such a long match and playing well for the most part.” Allen first reached the semi-finals as a fresh-faced 23-year-old in 2009, when he almost retrieved a 13-3 deficit against John Higgins, eventually losing 17-13 but prompting Higgins to describe his opponent as a “street fighter”.

Allen said: “I think I have always had that. I think it’s just being from Northern Ireland, we’re all the same in all sports, we have a never-say-die attitude.

“I still haven’t been anywhere near my best but I’m in the semi-final. Ninety-five per cent of the tour would snap your hand off for that. Maybe I should try to talk myself up a little bit because maybe there’s a lot more good snooker that I’m just not believing in.

“Every year I come here thinking I can win it, and it’s no different this year. The first hurdle is getting through that first round, and the next one is ‘can you get to the one-table set-up’. Then you want to give yourself a chance on Sunday or Monday. I haven’t done that yet and that’s the next step for me.” Allen will next face the latest rising star from China, 22-year-old Wu Yize, who blasted 12 half-centuries or better as he reached the semi-finals for the first time with a 13-8 win over Hossein Vafaei.