Shaun Murphy is set to face Wu Yize in the World Championship final. Murphy secured his place after a victory over John Higgins. Meanwhile, Mark Allen suffered a painful final-frame defeat at the hands of Wu Yize.
Murphy Overcomes Higgins to Reach Final
Shaun Murphy powered to a 17-15 victory over John Higgins to reach his fifth Crucible final. He is aiming for a second title, 21 years after his first. Murphy had previously been the runner-up on his three prior appearances in the Championship match.
In 2009, Higgins defeated Murphy by 18-9. This time, Murphy roared back from a 13-11 overnight deficit, reeling off four consecutive frames from 15-13 down.
Murphy said he was “over the moon” and “exhausted” after the match. He acknowledged the difficulty of playing Higgins in a World Semi-final. Murphy opened with breaks of 132 and 127. Higgins barely had any table time in those frames.
Allen’s Heartbreak as Wu Advances
Mark Allen suffered a devastating final-frame defeat by Wu Yize. Allen missed a match-winning black off its spot in the penultimate frame. Wu, 22, trailed 16-14 but then won three frames in a row with breaks of 67, 52 and 71.
Allen broke down on 45 in the 31st frame. He then missed a black to win the 32nd frame. Allen admitted he “completely blew it” and didn’t cope with the pressure.
“When you miss a black like that you don’t deserve to win,” Allen said. He wished Wu good luck and predicted that Wu is “going to be world champion.”
Wu’s Perspective
Wu Yize will now face Shaun Murphy in the final, which begins on Sunday at 13:00 BST. Allen had been aiming to become the oldest first-time finalist in Crucible history. At 40, and with 20 attempts to win the tournament, Allen may be left wondering if his chance has passed.
Shaun Murphy won his first World Championship 21 years ago. If he triumphs again it will be the longest gap between two world crowns.