Snooker Shenzhen Open: Decider drama in quarter-final rematch of the WC final

While the first clash of giants at snooker's Shenzhen Open was a bit of a letdown as Judd Trump demolished Mark Selby, the evening bout between Wu Yize and Shaun Murphy really delivered.

The duo faced off in a rematch of the World Championship final from last spring, and the home crowd was firmly behind reigning World Champ Wu. The Chinese youngster has been in bit of a slump after his big win, not reaching further than the 3rd round in ranking events since then.

An opening frame victory brought some confidence, but Murphy replied with two beautiful breaks of 98 and 104 to take the lead. The next two frames were traded without the opponent getting more than a solitary point to give Murphy a 3-2 lead.

Wu rallied with some of his best snooker, flipping the script to 4-3 thanks to some solid potting and breaks of 94 and a century break of 121. The match looked to be beyond Murphy in the next as Wu had match ball on the brown, but a tricky shot failed to give him a chance.

These two went to a decider back in May, and Murphy made sure things would be the same in Shenzhen, completing a 59-57 comeback to equalize at 4-4. However, just like in the WC final at 17-17, the decider proved that things between the duo hadn't changed.

Murphy got the first chance, positioning himself to pot the blue. However, his next red missed leaving his break at just 6 points, with Wu provided with a guilt-edged chance to clear. The young Chinese superstar provided the coupe de grace yet again, clearing in style for the win and a break of 117.

- I feel immense pressure whenever I'm playing against him (Murphy), we probably do it to each other. Luckily I managed to hold my nerve again when the going got tough, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the semi-final against Trump, Wu told WST after the match.

- It's all about mentality in the decider, and it's going to be difficult against Judd tomorrow as well. It's always a pleasure to play against him though, as there's plenty I can learn, the reigning World Champion finished.

The Shenzhen Open semi-finals will take place tomorrow.

Below you can find the schedule for the Shenzhen Open semi-finals along with the quarter-final results.











Source: WST