Judd Trump thumps Shaun Murphy to reach World Snooker Championship quarter-finals

SHEFFIELD: Judd Trump sealed his place in the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship with a thrilling 13-10 victory over Shaun Murphy here at the Crucible Theatre on Monday.

Trump also made history by becoming the first player to compile hundred century breaks twice in a single season.

In a match that many described as worthy of a final, both players produced snooker of the highest calibre.

Trump, the world number one, demonstrated his class with a series of stunning breaks, while Murphy, the 2005 world champion, pushed him in a gripping second-round encounter.

After an evenly contested opening session, Trump found another gear on Sunday evening, firing in breaks of 89, 97, 106, 132, and 92 to establish a commanding 10-6 lead.

He carried that momentum into Monday afternoon, rattling off two more frames with efforts of 63 and 86 to move 12-6 ahead.

However, a surprising missed red from Trump in the 19th frame gave Murphy a glimmer of hope, and 'The Magician' conjured up a stunning fightback.

Murphy produced breaks of 88, 72, 112, and 99 to close the gap to just 12-10, putting real pressure on the tournament favourite.

Murphy appeared to have the momentum, but a missed red at a crucial moment in the next frame proved costly.

Trump, despite having been kept out of the action for some time, maintained his composure with a vital break of 58.

Although Murphy attempted to counter-attack, another miss allowed Trump to close out the frame and the match to book his place in the last eight.

“It was a very, very high-quality match," said seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry on BBC commentary. "We expected it with these two players. It was worthy of a final, and they delivered."

A disappointed but gracious Murphy reflected on the defeat, saying that it was the best he played at this year's World Snooker Championship.

"It’s the best I’ve ever played this year at the Championship and lost," said Murphy.

"I can’t criticise myself too much. I came up against the world number one, the best player on the planet, playing really well. All I can do is praise him he played fantastically well. We’ll have to go again."