Murphy punches his Snooker World Championship quarter-final ticket in just 2 sessions

The 2nd round of the Snooker World Championship had barely started, before we already had a star name book himself a spot in the quarter-finals. Shaun Murphy had struggled through 10-9 in the first round against Fan Zhengyi, but made short work of the latter's compatriot Xiao Guodong.

Murphy started as he meant to end, racing ahead to a commanding 5-0 lead. The 43-year old put on a vintage display, and the closest his opponent got was at 6-2 to finish the first session.

All the 2nd round matches are played best of 25, in sessions that last 8 frames. However, Murphy didn't feel the need for a third session, putting the game to bed in style with a scoreline of 13-3 to end the second session. This means the Englishman has a few days of rest before his journey at the World Championship continues.

The Chinese contingent has taken the snooker world by storm over the last couple of years, but Xiao Guodong is not among the new generation, being born in 1989. He's managed to climb his way up to number 9 in the world this season, so this was no mean feat by Murphy.

- That's the dream, to play like that, especially here where it matters the most. Xiao is a very classy player, and I knew I'd have to be at it from the start. In the back of my mind I knew that I could end it in just two sessions, which motivated me for more time at home, Murphy told WST after the match.

- I was given a lifeline against Fan (10-9 victory in the 1st round), and I didn't want to waste it. I know that my opportunities of winning here are lower every year, so I have to grasp them with both hands. I'm very proud of my Crucible record (24 World Championship visits, title in 2005), and hopefully I can keep doing this for a long time, the 43-year old added.

In the other second round matches Mark Williams and Barry Hawkins are battling it out, with Hawkins leading 10-6. Elsewhere Mark Allen took a 9-7 lead over Kyren Wilson. Meanwhile the Chinese duo of Zhao Xintong and Ding Junhui are neck and neck at 4-4 following their first session.

You can enjoy Murphy's two century breaks to close out the match via the video below.



Below you can find the schedule, scores and results of the 2nd round of the World Snooker Championship.






Source: WST