Wu edges past Murphy into Shanghai semi-finalsImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Wu Yize is ranked fourth in the worldByElizabeth BotcherbyBBC Sport journalistPublished59 minutes agoWorld champion Wu Yize overcame “a lot of mistakes” to edge past Shaun Murphy 6-5 and reach the Shanghai Masters semi-finals.Meeting for the first time since Wu won the dramatic World Championship final in May, the 22-year-old trailed by five frames to four in the third round, having led 3-1, before building his fifth 50-plus break of the match to force a decider.
After England’s Murphy unexpectedly missed a red when leading 62-29 in the final frame, the Chinese held his nerve to clear the black and complete another nail-biting win.
Wu will face England’s Judd Trump in the last four after he brushed aside Scotland’s John Higgins 6-0, including three consecutive century breaks in the final three frames.
“Although the result was good and I managed to win the match, I never really took control of it. Hopefully I can find my rhythm and get back to my best in the next match as I prepare for the semi-finals,” reported Wu.
“I definitely made a lot of mistakes that I shouldn’t have made. To be honest, I didn’t expect to get another chance in the deciding frame, and I was quite surprised when Shaun missed and let me in.
“I don’t think either of us played particularly well today. It wasn’t as high a standard as the match we produced in the World Championship final.”
Defending champion Kyren Wilson recovered from 5-3 down to beat three-time world champion Mark Williams in a deciding frame, reeling off breaks of 61, 54 and 113 to complete his comeback.
He will face 2025 world champion Zhao Xintong in a repeat of last year’s semi-final, which Wilson won 10-5.
Zhao crushed Australia’s Neil Robertson 6-0, with a highest break of 117 in the third frame.
