Mark Selby defeats Shaun Murphy to reach UK Championship final

Mark Selby powered past close friend and frequent on-table rival Shaun Murphy 6-3 to reach the final of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship, to face Judd Trump on Sunday.

The two met for the 35th time in their storied careers, and Selby’s victory took him 20–15 ahead in their head-to-head record.

Selby claimed the opening frame with a break of 74, but Murphy responded immediately with a 131 to level the scores. Breaks of 73 and 104 then helped the 42-year-old Selby establish a commanding 4-1 lead.

Murphy fought back, winning the next two frames to narrow the deficit to 4-3. However, Selby produced runs of 72, 55, and 127 over the remaining frames to secure a 6-3 victory, having missed just 12 balls throughout the match.

The winner will pocket £250,000, and Selby heads into the final full of confidence after defeating Trump in the recent Champion of Champions final.

Reflecting on his triumph, Selby said he is looking forward to a major match against Judd Trump, eager to end a long title drought and add to his Triple Crown successes.

“It would mean a lot to win. It has been nine years since I’ve been to the UK final. I haven’t done well in the Masters for the last few years either. It would be nice to try and tick it off and get to ten Triple Crown wins,” Selby said.

“I enjoy playing Judd. He is great to watch and very similar to Ronnie. He is exciting to play against and has a lot of support as well. It will be a great occasion tomorrow and I can’t wait to get started.”