Shaun Murphy and Stephen Maguire complete first-round draw
Shaun Murphy finally finishes off the match
Shaun Murphy eventually crossed the finishing line after beating Gerard Greene 10-7 in the world snooker championship.
Murphy was in command after the first session. Despite losing the first frame, Murphy won all of the remaining eight frames to open up an 8-1 lead overnight.
Resuming the match this afternoon, Greene pulled a frame back, but when Murphy clinched the 11th, the match looked to be heading to an extremely early finish. However, Greene compiled breaks of 67, 65, 55 and 92 to worry Murphy and made the score 9-7.
In true Murphy style, he sealed the win with a match-winning break of 87 to fend off the challenge and book his place in the last-16.
“At no time did I feel that I was going to lose the match, the gremlins in my head were not that bad. But it would have been so nice to have won the match 10-1, by going out there and just doing the job. But to be fair to Gerard, he did not allow me to do that.
“When he started to come back in the match, at no stage did I question my own ability. I have practiced very hard since I was eight years old, and I know that in my game, I could rely on it when it matters,” Murphy said.
The 2005 world champion will now play China’s Ding Junhui in the next round.
Stephen Maguire sets up all Scottish clash
Stephen Maguire coasted past Stephen Lee 10-4 to set up an all-Scottish encounter against Graeme Dott in the last-16.
Maguire led 6-3 after the first session, and when Lee took the first frame at the start of the second session, Maguire responded with a break of 114.
Maguire was in control of the match, and further extended his lead to leave Lee with too much to do. The on-fire Maguire sealed the win with runs of 38 and 27 to wrap up the match and advance.
“I am delighted. I am in the last-16 of the worlds,” he said “and if I wasn't happy there would be a problem. I played well in patches and I was pretty solid tonight. I felt I was going to score every time I got in. I will have to touch up on safety but if you are potting the balls I guess safety isn't that important.
“I try every year to win this tournament. It is only the second round I am in, so I’m not thinking about the trophy right now. I think, in my opinion I have underachieved in my career so far. I am trying different things to win different tournaments. There have been no problems with me focusing. Snooker is snooker, and I have been practicing every day. I will just wait to see what happens and wait to see what you guys write in the paper,” Maguire said.
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