World Snooker Championship 2026 – Shaun Murphy wins final-frame thriller after 'best-ever' Crucible break as Judd Trump beats Gary Wilson
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2024/09/16/image-4414b260-c386-47c6-af98-0a2675a5a091-68-310-310.jpeg)
Updated 22/04/2026 at 00:08 GMT+1
React to this story
Shaun Murphy edged into the second round of the World Snooker Championship, hailing his half-century which sealed his deciding-frame win against Fan Zhenghyi as his best-ever break at the Crucible.
'Can you believe that?' - Lighting issues disrupt Murphy during tense World Championship battle
Video credit: TNT Sports
The 2005 world champion was 2-0 and 3-1 up but, after being level at 3-3, incredibly the players exchanged frames in turn all the way to the final one.
The only century of the match, a 140 total clearance, put Muphy ahead going into the last session, but as the match wore on, he could not shake his Chinese opponent.
In the final frame it looked on a couple of occasions that Fan may seal victory.
Ultimately though, he missed a tough red into the right middle, hitting the far jaw, and Murphy went on to make a half-century clearing down to the pink.
"Of all the breaks I've ever made at the Crucible, that's the best one," Murphy told TNT Sports.
He also had to overcome a very strange moment when the lights flashed on in the 17th frame just as he was taking a shot.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/04/21/image-4ff0aa11-33cd-490a-b51b-a7707297e333-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
'Can you believe that?' - Lighting issues disrupt Murphy during tense World Championship battle
Video credit: TNT Sports
Murphy will likely have to up his game in the next round when he faces Xiao Guodong, who beat Zhou Yuelong 10-6 in the first round.
Elsewhere, Judd Trump eventually cruised to victory over Gary Wilson winning 10-5, despite not hitting top form.
The key point in the match came when Trump needed a snooker when 4-2 down, but came back to win the frame and then went into the evening session 5-4 up.
Though Wilson won the opener with a 58 break, Trump battled to victory in the next two frames and a 71 and 69 helped take him over the line.
Trump did produce an incredible escape from a snooker in the 13th frame, when he used the bottom-right jaws to reach safety from a perilous position.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/04/21/image-70028c94-0bd6-4c45-a67a-277421af227d-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Watch Trump pull off improvised escape by rattling jaws of pocket
Video credit: TNT Sports
Trump will play the winner of Si Jiahui and Hossein Vafaei in the next round.
As it happened: Murphy beats Fan 10-9
A fantastic half-century break in the circumstances to seal victory.
Murphy 9-9 Fan (52*-53)
Murphy just needs down to the pink to win the frame and match.
Murphy 9-9 Fan (32*-53)
Murphy moves the last two reds off the bottom cushion. He now has a very good chance to seal the frame in this visit.
Murphy 9-9 Fan (18*-53)
After Murphy hits the red second time around, Fan plays a risky shot into the middle pocket and hits the far jaw. A chance for Murphy to at least narrow the deficit now.
Murphy 9-9 Fan (17-53)
Put in a snooker, Murphy just fails to make connection with one of the reds on the bottom cushion.
Murphy 9-9 Fan (17-49)
Fan doing it in installments. Four reds are remaining at present. This could be the key safety exchange.
Murphy 9-9 Fan (17-42*)
Fan from near the baulk cushion makes a narrow cut into the bottom-left pocket and has. chance now to move close to the finishing line.
Murphy 9-9 Fan (17-38)
Fan plays an attacking shot to move some of the reds off the bottom cushion, rather than notch a couple of easy ones, and has to play safe up the table.
Murphy 9-9 Fan (17-24*)
Murphy leaves Fan a cut into the right middle and he puts it away. There are are some easy reds to build a lead but five in poor position around the black so will need to do some maneuvreing to win the frame in this visit.
Murphy 9-9 Fan (17-0)
Murphy pots a good long red, but from the brown is lucky not to go in off and leaves himself having to play safe to baulk.
Murphy 9-9 Fan (12-0)
Murphy misses with the rest. Not something you see very often. He leaves Fan a pot into the bottom-left pocket but he misses and is lucky to snooker Murphy from the ball with the black.
Murphy 9-9 Fan (6*-0)
Murphy with a fantastic long pot to give himself thefirst look at a table, that has not broken up uninvitingly from the break.
Murphy 9-9 Fan
There is nothing like a crucial Crucible decider. And we have one here.
Murphy 9-8 Fan (4-76*)
Fan pots a fantastic cut into the left middle to set up a decider.
Murphy 9-8 Fan (4-68)
Fan keeps a level head. He leaves Murphy needing two snookers, then faced with a difficult pot he plays a safety. He is happy to win this by stealth.
Murphy 9-8 Fan (4-60*)
Murphy leaves a red over the bottom right pocket but Fan has to play a cannon onto it to to sink it and he does just that, albeit with a double kiss. The pink follows the red down and he should be able to fore a decider now.
Murphy 9-8 Fan (4-53)
Murphy misses first time round but clips a red by the right cushion and just about leaves the table safe.
Murphy 9-8 Fan (4-49)
He is not shy of leaving himself a long pot. Fan puts in a long red to keep the break going but leaves the cue ball next to the brown. So he leaves Murphy in a snooker.
Murphy 9-8 Fan (4-39*)
Now the frame looks very winnable for Fan in this visit. The black is on the pink spot and with a couple of good shots he will be able to open up enough pottable reds to take the frame.
Murphy 9-8 Fan (4-7*)
Fan is at the table. It is a very difficult one to navigate at present with pink and black out of commission. If he can free the black with one red currently obscuring it from the bottom-right pocket, he could build a big break.
Murphy 9-8 Fan (4-0)
Fan goes in off again! He is lucky not to leave an easy pot on for Murphy this time.
Murphy 9-8 Fan
After missing a long pot and leaving Murphy with an easy one, Fan concedes.
Murphy 8-8 Fan (73*-4)
With four reds left on the table Fan plays on needing three snookers.
Murphy 8-8 Fan (50*-4)
Fan goes in off and Murphy then pots a long red from the D. He should polish off the frame now.
Murphy 8-8 Fan (45-4)
Wow! A light shone on Murphy just as he was about to take a shot. Not sure it had much effect on the actual shot going into the reds. But his next shot, with the rest is a poor one, hitting a red but leaving himself with no position.
Murphy 8-8 Fan (17*-0)
Murphy is first on the table again, but came close to leaving a red in the bottom-right jaws, with the spider.
Watch Trump's shot of the championship contender
Watch Trump pull off improvised escape by rattling jaws of pocket
Video credit: TNT Sports
Murphy 8-8 Fan
Fan left himself a long pink but rolled it in cool as you like. We now have a best of three contest.
Murphy 8-7 Fan (51-52*)
A great break from Fan considering the pressure and now he is on the colours, needing to pot down to the pink to level the scores at eight-apiece.
Murphy 8-7 Fan (51-9*)
Fan with a fine long pot and he has a chance now to pull back the deficit in the frame with all reds in pottable positions.
Murphy 8-7 Fan (51-0)
Murphy is a bit unlucky opening the reds, but keeps the break going with a difficult cut into the right middle. He then rolls the ball behind the brown, putting Fan in a snooker.
Murphy 8-7 Fan (5*-0)
Murphy starts with a fine long pot, screwing back behind the baulk colours, before rolling in the brown to put himself in position to do some damage.
Murphy 8-7 Fan
Murphy is now two frames from victory, but if the rest of this match is anything to go by it won't be that straight-forward.
Murphy 7-7 Fan (38*-25)
Murphy just needs the baulk colours and blue to put the frame beyond doubt now.
Murphy 7-7 Fan (20*-25)
It is a lot slower going on this table - and I was about to say that seems to suit Fan but he misses a black off its spot and Murphy should at the least go close to winning the frame in this visit.
Trump 10-5 Wilson
A 69 break is enough to put Trump into the second round.
Trump 9-5 Wilson (32*-0)
He hasn't been near his best in the match, but Trump has performed a magic act to get to this stage where the frame and a place in the second round looks at his mercy.
Trump 9-5 Wilson (2-0)
Trump with a remarkable shot deflecting one red off another red in the pack to go into the middle pocket.
Trump 9-5 Wilson (1-0)
Trump just about can get through to cut a red into the left middle (played with a bit of side), but he misses the yellow and is lucky not to leave anything on.
Trump 9-5 Wilson
Trump clears down to the blue and is now just a frame away from victory.
Trump 8-5 Wilson (60*-34)
It feels Wilson is trying a bit too hard. Again he plays a low-percentage shot trying to pot the pink and leaves a red on for Trump.
Trump 8-5 Wilson (53-33)
Wilson left himself a near impossible positional shot on the black and he misses it. Trump then rolls the red into the bottom left pocket. He then leaves the green safe for insurance.
Trump 8-5 Wilson (52-5*)
Just like Wilson earlier, a poor shot from Trump gives away four points and sets up his opponent with an opportunity to make a break.
Murphy 7-7 Fan
Fan pots the red he needs to put the frame beyond doubt. One of our games looks over, but the other has a lot left in it.
Trump 8-5 Wilson (52-0)
Trump pots six reds and blacks before missing a long red into the green pocket.
Trump 8-5 Wilson (5*-0)
It couldn't have restarted much worse for Wilson. He misses an attempt at rolling a safety against reds on the left-hand cushion - and presents Trump an easy pot.
Murphy 7-6 Fan (23-69)
Murphy pots three reds and colours but still needs that elusive snooker.
Murphy 7-6 Fan (0-69)
The frame should be Fan's now. He pots the black to ensure Murphy will need a snooker when he returned to the table.
Murphy 7-6 Fan (0-40*)
It was a very slow start to the 14th frame but Fan potted a fine first red with a shot to nothing and has built an impressive break on a difficult table and could level the scores in this visit.
Trump 8-5 Wilson
Trump pots a red to move himself two frames from victory when they return after the break.
Trump 7-5 Wilson (71-17)
What an escape! Wilson played an incredible snooker behind the pink on the bottom cushion but Trump played the cue ball into the bottom right jaws and ran into the red by the middle pocket.
Trump 7-5 Wilson (71-17)
A break of 71 leaves Wilson needing two snookers and should give Trump a three-frame lead when they come back from the interval - which one feels would be unassailable.
Trump 7-5 Wilson (58*-17)
Trump now just needs a couple of reds to leave Wilson needing snookers.
Trump 7-5 Wilson (8*-17)
A poor Trump safety left Wilson a straight-forward mid-range pot, but he misses it by a mile and now Trump has a chance to make him pay.
Murphy 7-6 Fan
They have exchanged frames throughout the first mini-session on the other side of the screen with Murphy's 60 helping him to go into the interval in front.
Trump 7-5 Wilson (0-17)
Again Wilson doesn't make the most of his chance, but Trump inexplicably misses an attempted roll up to the reds from the bottom cushion.
Trump 7-5 Wilson (0-5*)
Trump misses a long pot gifting Wilson a chance to build a lead in this crucial frame.
Trump 7-5 Wilson
After a poor shot, Wilson concedes and Trump is now two clear ahead of the last frame before the interval.
Trump 6-5 Wilson (56-16)
trump does very well to negotiate a tough table and leave Wilson needing two snookers.
Trump 6-5 Wilson (12*-16)
Wilson leaves Trump an easy cut into the right middle and has five eminently pottable reds to go after next.
Trump 6-5 Wilson (11-16)
Trump makes a couple of good pots, but fails in a difficult attempt to open up the black while potting a red with the spider.
Trump 6-5 Wilson (2-16)
It looks like being another tight frame. The black and pink are out of commission stifling the chance to make breaks.
Trump 6-5 Wilson (0-4)
Wilson is first on the table but can't get position from the green and has to play safe to the baulk end.
Murphy 6-5 Fan
They are exchanging frames in this match and Murphy needs three snookers in the 12th frame so it looks like moving level at six each shortly.
Trump 6-5 Wilson
Trump eventually pots the pink to take the frame.
Trump 5-5 Wilson (54-34)
Trump misses the pink so Wilson plays off, hoping for an unlikely two snookers (or one if Trump hits the black).
Trump 5-5 Wilson (45*-34)
Trump is left a long green and plays it perfectly holding for the brown. The frame is surely his now.
Trump 5-5 Wilson (42-34)
What a strange frame! Wilson tries to stun the green and misses it by a mile, but snookers Trump from the ball.
Trump 5-5 Wilson (42-28*)
Wilson plays a poor safety shot, leaving Trump a long pot, but it works out well for the former as he is left an easy pot of the last red into the middle pocket.
Trump 5-5 Wilson (42-27)
Trump loses position, but Wilson gives him a chance to get back on the table instantly...but then Trump goes in-off and is fortunate not to leave an easy pot from the D.
Trump 5-5 Wilson (27*-23)
A good long pot from Trump now sets himself up for a break to pull away from Wilson.
Trump 5-5 Wilson (25-23)
Wilson pots a fine long red and then jokes with the ref that she moved the yellow from over the left middle pocket. He has to play safe. This feels a key frame to win now.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/04/21/image-a8a63c3d-c304-4c78-95f3-d98a47e7a4c1-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
'It was over the pocket!' - Wilson teases referee with cheeky remark
Video credit: TNT Sports
Trump 5-5 Wilson (25-22)
Trump pots a red then puts Wilson in a snooker which he fails to get out of in his first two attempts.
Trump 5-5 Wilson (16-22)
Trump misses on two occasions before nestling against the reds on the third occasion.
Trump 5-5 Wilson (16-14)
After a few good pots Wilson has the chance to roll behind the brown and leave a tough snooker.
Trump 5-5 Wilson (16-1*)
Trump left Wilson the chance of a red on the right cushion near the bottom pocket and he puts it away.
Trump 5-5 Wilson (16-0)
Trump falls out of position and has to play safe to baulk.
Trump 5-5 Wilson (8*-0)
Trump twice gets in on the table. First time he lays a snooker which Wilson rolls into the reds but allows him a chance to pot a red from the edge of the pack.
Trump 5-5 Wilson
Wilson will need to be in good form to beat Trump tonight - and he showed here there is nothing wrong with the way he is playing.
Trump 5-4 Wilson (31-64*)
Trump just fails to get a red off the right cushion and goes for a very low percentage double, leaving an easy red for Wilson. Trump now needs snookers.
Trump 5-4 Wilson (9*-58)
Trump starts a break with a very good pot of a red along the bottom cushion. These aren't the Wuhan cushions either.
Trump 5-4 Wilson (1-58)
Just the one from Trump as, with no position, he rolls behind the brown.
Trump 5-4 Wilson (0-58)
Wilson made good pot of a red with the rest but then, a bit ill-advised, goes for a very difficult pink into the left middle. Trump now has the opportunity to at least get close to reeling in the lead.
Trump 5-4 Wilson (0-53*)
An impressive first visit to the table as he reaches the half-century mark. He will need to open up the reds to get over the line here though.
Trump 5-4 Wilson (0-5*)
Wilson needed a good start after being so close to a 5-2 lead in the afternoon - and he is first with his hand on the table tonight.
The Boys are on the Baize...
The action will get underway shortly.
Hello and Welcome
Thanks for joining our coverage of what promises to be a thrilling evening of snooker. Our main focus initially will be on Judd Trump's match with Gary Wilson, but we will also keep a keen eye on Shaun Murphy-Fan Zhengyi as both games are played out to a finish. Trump and Murphy both lead 5-4.
How to watch and stream the World Championship
You can watch every day of the 2026 Halo World Snooker Championship live on TNT Sports.
It is available both live and on-demand on HBO Max.
For the latest information on which snooker events are on TNT Sports, click here.
Here is the TNT Sports schedule and TV guide.
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement