Welsh Open 2023 snooker LIVE – Robert Milkins ends Mark Allen hopes after Ronnie O’Sullivan's whitewash loss

Updated 17/02/2023 at 23:15 GMT

It’s quarter-final day in Llandudno as eight becomes four at the 2023 Welsh Open. Fresh from his 147, and 145, heroics in the last 16, Shaun Murphy kicks off Friday’s action against China’s Yuan Sijun. Then it’s the turn of Ronnie O’Sullivan, who faces Tian Pengfei. This evening, the runaway leader on the one-year ranking list, Mark Allen, faces Robert Milkins and Joe O’Connor takes on Pang Junxu.

'An extraordinary exhibition of snooker' - Murphy makes 147 against Wells

Thanks for joining us

We will be back at 12:45pm (GMT) on Saturday with Milkins meeting Tian Pengfei before Joe O'Connor or Pang Junxu faces Shaun Murphy. Both matches are best of 11 frames. Should be quite a day in Llandudno.

Welsh Open

Bingham and Zhou tumble out of Welsh Open amid controversial concession calls

26/01/2024 at 23:00

Allen 1-5 Milkins

"It was awful from start to finish," said Allen, whose highest break in the match was 33. "Absolutely pitiful and the right player deserved to go through. It was a very poor performance."

Friday's quarter-final schedule

12:00

Shaun Murphy 5-0 Yuan Sijun
Tian Pengfei 5-0 Ronnie O'Sullivan

19:00

Joe O'Connor 2-4 Pang Junxu
Mark Allen 1-5 Robert Milkins

Allen 1-4 Milkins (54-58)

And Milkins hammers the black across the table and into the top left-hand pocket after some fine safety shots. A brilliant winning pot after a fairly forgettable match, but that won't matter to the Milkman. All about the W. Allen had chances to extend the contest, but missed pink using rest before they plunged into a quality safety joust on the final ball. Milkins through to meet Tian Pengfei on Saturday afternoon. Allen will reflect on what went wrong. "It was really hard work," says Milkins. "It was just one of those matches when everything went scrappy."

Allen 1-4 Milkins (54-51)

Down to the final black to settle this frame..43 minutes into the longest frame of this match. A taut duel on the final black. Did we expect anything else?

Allen 1-4 Milkins (39-38)

So many chances continue to come and go with Allen missing a long red twice on the thick side. Milkins closes to one point behind his opponent with two reds left up. Quite remarkable this match. No half centuries so far. And none look likely.

Allen 1-4 Milkins (39-31)

Down to the final three reds which are all welded to the top cushion. A lead of eight points for the Northern Irishman as he battles to extend this contest. Pang 3-1 clear of Joe O'Connor on other table.

Allen 1-4 Milkins (34-1)

Feels like Mark is trying to pot his way through molasses at the moment. Just can't find any meaningful breaks tonight. A decent safety shot by Rob sees Mark catch the red too thick, but Milkins then misses a cut on red with a rest. But Allen gets a kick trying to pot a black off the spot and is quickly sitting down again. Not his night so far.

Allen 1-3 Milkins (0-70)

A break of 42 from Milkins right on cue. Allen looking a bit perplexed with his potting. Tries to nudge in a red over top bag, but misses the object ball and it is an easy kill for the Milkman. So a 4-1 lead. He requires one more frame to reach the last four on Saturday. Not vintage Rob, but enough to establish the lead.

Allen 1-3 Milkins (0-29)

Another taut start to this fifth frame. Chance of a mid-range red for Allen, but can't convert. His trials and tribulations continue. Rob unearths a decent red in response. More bits and bobs before Allen is well off with an attempted long red. His game has deserted him tonight and you suspect he knows it.

Allen 1-3 Milkins (0-4)

Rob gets the fifth frame of a possible nine off and running. Not much wriggle room for Mark here. He was on practice table during the interval. The misses have made the match exciting. Which has been good for the packed crowd. Another red to right middle eludes the UK champion Allen.

O'Connor 1-2 Pang Junxu

Pang leading the other quarter-final 2-1. An opening break of 67 against Joe O'Connor the highlight of their meeting. Winner of that will face Shaun Murphy on Saturday avo.

Allen 1-2 Milkins (63-77)

Just short of two hours of playing time and Milkins takes out the final five colours to move 3-1 ahead. Again, both players with chances to scramble over the line, but Allen misses a mid-range green and the Milkman steadied the ship to tidy up the required balls after earlier missing green with rest down the side rail. So, so tense. A real slugfest with rare moments of quality quickly destroyed by misses.

Allen 1-2 Milkins (63-44)

A poor match this. Not one the large crowd were expecting, but that is the nature of sport. Two reds left up and a key part of the narrative before the mid-session interval. Milkins forced to negotiate a tough escape and earns four misses. Leaves a red the fifth time, but Allen misses the red. Wasn't easy. This frame running for 25 minutes and counting with Allen snookered on final red.

Allen 1-2 Milkins (31-35)

Five reds left on the table. This frame and match wide open at the moment. Milkins happy to rely on his safety play while the scoring game has gone missing. A stunning shot by Rob to clip red and see white run up tight behind brown in baulk. But he can't cash in with red to left centre seconds later. Allen then misses another red near side rail. Chances continue to come and go.

Allen 1-2 Milkins (23-35)

Can Rob let his cue do the talking here? Would expect him to make a decent break at this visit, but he thumps a black into the jaws of a pocket before it runs up to baulk. Another black missed off the spot. So, so nervy this encounter.

Allen 1-2 Milkins (22-13)

Seems like every time either player threatens to get moving, something goes wrong. This time Allen reaches 22, but that will be his lot from his visit as he overhits a pot on black for the next red. Disappointing. And Milkins finds a superb telling safety behind green and brown that prompts an Allen error. Chance passes to the Milkman.

Allen 0-2 Milkins (65-11)

An outrageous fluke on a red from Milkins, but he can't make the mother of all steals as black using rest is nowhere near the pocket and this frame will finally fall to Allen with balls set up as a gift. A tension-ridden match, but at least Mark is on the scoreboard. One more frame before the mid-session break.

Allen 0-2 Milkins (52-4)

Another chance for Allen comes and goes as he can't convert a thin cut on red on cusp of frame. So work to be done yet, but Milkins misses tricky black off spot seconds later after swerving in a red.

Allen 0-2 Milkins (26-3)

Rob butchers a safety effort and has presented Mark with a glorious chance to compile some points. Highest break so far only 26.

Allen 0-2 Milkins (19-3)

Mark with a timely safety shot, but manages to get safe in baulk as red is covered by the green preventing an easy pot on red over the top pocket. Rob then pops in a thrilling long red before running up behind green. Allen takes over a minute to decide his next shot, but plays a solid escape off one cush. All very cat and mouse. In keeping with theme of this match.

Allen 0-2 Milkins (9-1)

Milkins chasing a ninth ranking event semi-final and second successive run to the last four of a ranking event. Rob with a lovely cut on a red to right middle, but then misses black of the spot. Good opportunity squandered. And it is over to Allen.

Allen 0-1 Milkins (37-88)

Safety shot by Milkins sees Allen escape from a snooker, but he leaves the long red and Rob stuns the red into yellow pocket. That is a frame-winner and that is 2-0 to the Milkman. Bits and pieces from him, but is enough to double his advantage. Allen really needs to join the party here with no breaks of note from his cue.

Allen 0-1 Milkins (37-71)

Safety blunder by the Milkman and suddenly Allen has a real chance to steal, but he misses tricky red at pace along top cushion. Doesn't leave the red, but that is a golden chance gone for the Antrim man to make his move. 28 minutes for the first frame, 30 minutes for this one. Not exactly classic fare.

Allen 0-1 Milkins (29-71)

41 from Rob to extend his lead to 50 points with three reds left up. Not quite safe, but not far from the winning line. Allen drops in a long red with left hand side. And follows with black, but no position. Clinging on by his fingertips in this second frame.

Allen 0-1 Milkins (21-57)

A fabulous attempt at a long red from Allen. But somehow rattles in the jaws and the Milkman is back at the table seconds later. Surely this stalemate is going to end soon between these two men. Heavy scorers, but tension seems to be the dominant force so far. Chance for Milkins to make the decisive move in this frame.

Allen 0-1 Milkins (21-22)

A real nervy start here as Allen again fails to slide in a red along top cushion. Milkman hardly convincing either so far, but slots a lovely red from distance. That should settle him down, but just adds four more points before running safe. A real scrappy affair in Llandudno.

Allen 0-1 Milkins (15-4)

Mark looked like he couldn't miss in his 4-1 victory over Andy Hicks in the last 32 yesterday before seeing off Luca Brecel 4-2 last night, but yet to fully click into scoring mode despite a few eye-catching pots here and there. Pots green and screws white into a middle pocket. A brilliant billiards shot, but no use here.

Allen 0-0 Milkins (35-47)

But Allen spurns his big moment as he sees a blue to right middle wriggle out. Didn't expect that and the Milkman steadies his nerves to clear up to the black for a 1-0 lead. An eminently forgettable elongated frame, but Milkins takes it for a 1-0 lead.

Allen 0-0 Milkins (35-27)

Well then, all sorts going on out there. Milkins pots a black, but is desperately unlucky to hole yellow in same shot to middle pocket trying to release it. That is bad luck. Chance passes to Allen heading for colours.

Allen 0-0 Milkins (26-11)

But a positional shot on a red goes wrong as Allen screws back attempting to land on a black, but nothing doing. A good chance is gone. Not exactly a blistering start to this match.

Allen 0-0 Milkins (19-10)

Well, neither man has settled here so far. A few misses exchanged with Milkins rattling the jaws with an attempted pot on pink to a top right pocket. Allen takes the first chance to split reds via blue and this has turned into a decent opportunity at close range.

Allen 0-0 Milkins (0-3)

Allen chasing a £150,000 bonus if he wins this tonight at the top of the European order of merit. Early chance with rest, but he misses the red and Milkins pounces to pot the first ball of this match. Just a safety shot after he holes yellow, but doesn't land on next red.

O'Sullivan suffers whitewash defeat

No joy for the world champion as he tumbles out to Tian Pengfei in a whitewash defeat.

'You've got to deal with reality' - O'Sullivan refuses to blame tip issues for Tian defeat

Friday's quarter-final schedule

12:00

Shaun Murphy 5-0 Yuan Sijun
Tian Pengfei 5-0 Ronnie O'Sullivan

19:00

Joe O'Connor v Pang Junxu
Mark Allen v Robert Milkins

Allen 0-0 Milkins (0-0)

Allen is 5-1 clear on the career head-to-heads, but Milkins won their previous meeting 4-3 on his way to claiming the Gibraltar Open title last year. Two players who like to attack so this could be quite an entertaining dust-up. Here is hoping.

Welcome back to Llandudno

Almost ready to rock and roll with the remaining two quarter-final matches of the Welsh Open. Our feature showpiece match sees Mark Allen do battle with Robert Milkins while Joe O'Connor faces Pang Junxu on the other table. First to five frames will reach the last four on Saturday. Could be a good night if you play your cards right.

That's all from us!

Right, that's me done, but the quarter-final action is far from done in Llandudno. We've got the final two last-eight matches later, when Joe O'Connor takes on Pang Junxu, and Robert Milkins v Mark Allen. It all gets underway at 7pm!

Ronnie: "He played well."

"Tian wiped the floor with me. He deserved his victory."

Tian keeps going

Tian beat John Higgins in the last round. He's now beat the Rocket 5-0 to reach his first ranking event semi-final!

History...again!

Ronnie was whitewashed in the quarter-finals last week, and it's happened again. "Unbelievable" says Jimmy White. "I don't think there's a snooker fan in the world who would have predicted that score."

O'Sullivan 0-5 Tian (0-77)

Pengfei reaches the snookers required stage before developing three reds near the pink spot. None of them are in a potable position, so he plays safe and Ronnie offers his hand!

O'Sullivan 0-4 Tian (0-55*)

These reds really are lining up to be potted, and each one can be taken with a black. The scoring is heavy and the winning line is looming. Is Tian Pengfei about to reach his first ranking event semi-final?

O'Sullivan 0-4 Tian (0-30*)

Tian losing a little bit of control over the cue ball, but his recovery pots are good. A red into the right middle gets him back in position on the black. What a glorious opening this is

O'Sullivan 0-4 Tian (0-10*)

Big trouble for Ronnie, now. He plays a safety and jumps up immediately, knowing he's caught it too thick. It's a double-whammy, too, because he's opened the black up. Big, big chance for Tian, who pots a red and magnificently clips a red out of the way to completely release the black spot

O'Sullivan 0-4 Tian (0-1)

A confident early pot in the fifth frame for Tian, but it doesn't amount to anything more than a break of one, because the black is tied up

Here we go again!

Right, a mountain to climb now for Ronnie. Can he fight back? He needs to win each of the remaining frames to reach the semi-finals.

Mid-session interval reading

So, we head to the mid-session interval, and if you missed it earlier, here's a reminder of the whitewash we've already seen today, with Shaun Murphy booking his place in the last four in emphatic fashion

O'Sullivan 0-4 Tian (4-82)

A couple of sumptuous blues from Tian, who tries to open up the last two reds, but isn't able to do so. It doesn't matter though! A break of 82 and he's one frame away from the semi-final!

O'Sullivan 0-3 Tian (4-76*)

Tian adds the brown, and he's on another red off it. This will ensure Ronnie definitely won't be coming back to the table, and he sinks that as well

O'Sullivan 0-3 Tian (4-66*)

By taking that red along the top cushion, Tian frees up the black. A second red on the top cushion goes home, but he's left with an awkward pink and having to swing the cue ball down to baulk. He takes it, and then adds the red using the cushion. Snookers required

O'Sullivan 0-3 Tian (4-50*)

Tian adds two more reds with pinks, before taking a third into the right middle. There's seven reds left on the table, but four are clustered around the black, two are on the righ cushion and another is up at baulk. He takes the blue, knowing one of those reds by the black goes.

O'Sullivan 0-3 Tian (4-30*)

What a chance then for Tian to make it 4-0. He's got the black tied up, so that makes things a little awkward for him, but so many reds are out in the open that he can barely run out of positions on the reds. 30 and counting on the break so far, and plenty more to come

O'Sullivan 0-3 Tian (4-0)

"I'm not sure Ronnie has got any belief in his tip at the moment," says Joe Johnson. He's been having problems with it all week

O'Sullivan 0-3 Tian (4-0)

Well, here's a chance for Ronnie. Tian misses a red to the right corner and it leaves a somewhat inviting looking table. O'Sullivan has a red to the same pocket, but misses it. He shakes his head and looks completely baffled. This has been quite extraordinary from the Rocket, and not in a good way

Raducanu and Norrie to link up

Both players have gone for a comfort break after that frame, and who can blame them? So, while they're away, find out about an exciting link up between British number ones Cameron Norrie and Emma Raducanu, who are due to play together at tennis' Eisenhower Cup

O'Sullivan 0-3 Tian (52-63)

Oh my word! Ronnie misses it as well! It was over the pocket! An absolute gimme. That really is a collectors item. Tough one now for Tian, but he does well to sink it with the extended rest, and he mops up the pink too. Wow.

O'Sullivan 0-2 Tian (52-52)

Scores all square, only for Ronnie to struggle with his positional shot from brown, off its spot, to blue, on the left cushion. He misses the resulting, and it's a sitter for Tian - how over cuts it himself

O'Sullivan 0-2 Tian (*43-52)

Ronnie takes both the remaining reds with a pink and a green. The black has run safe, but he doesn't need it. Up to the pink from here will do

O'Sullivan 0-2 Tian (32-52)

And Tian duly strokes home a mid-distance red to the left corner. He adds the black, but then misses a red with the extended rest, which hangs over the pocket. Chance for Ronnie now

O'Sullivan 0-2 Tian (32-44)

Tian can't develop enough of the reds left on though, so his break comes to an end. O'Sullivan's response is a poor one though, with Tian's safety causing him problems. Another chance now for the underdog to build on his lead

O'Sullivan 0-2 Tian (32-36*)

But things just aren't going Ronnie's way. He sees two reds hover near the left corner from a safety, and Tian takes one of them comfortably before adding the pink with the rest. There are five reds left on the table, including that one over the pocket, which is the one he pots next, developing one of the reds on the top cushion in doing so.

O'Sullivan 0-2 Tian (32-26)

Tian takes the pink off the green spot, but he can't get the cue ball back close enough towards any of the reds to find a pot. He should have done better there

O'Sullivan 0-2 Tian (32-19*)

As Joe Johnson says on commentary, all the luck is going Tian's way. He pots a loose red, and with the cue ball clipping the black, he avoids going in off and lands fortuitously on the green. There's plenty out in the open here, and the green has gone on the black spot, which makes his life a little easier - although scoring a touch lower

O'Sullivan 0-2 Tian (32-11)

The black is hanging ominously over the left corner, and O'Sullivan fouls by accidentally potting it via the yellow. Unbelievably, Tian puts him back in, and Ronnie smacks home a plant, before missing the brown

O'Sullivan 0-2 Tian (31-4)

Some safety play now, which I'd argue Tian is currently coming out the better of. He's picked up four points as well after a foul from O'Sullivan

O'Sullivan 0-2 Tian (31-0)

Not an easy table for Ronnie, with the black tied up and the pink on the green spot, so the cue ball is having to do a lot of work. He goes in and out of baulk off the blue, in truth it's a splendid shot, but he somehow doesn't hit any of the reds when back at the top end of the table, so has to play safe

O'Sullivan 0-2 Tian (*19-0)

Right, are we about to see a Ronnie comeback? A shocker of a safety from Tian leaves him a tricky opening red, which he takes nicely, right into the heart of the pocket. Blue added, as well as another couple of reds with a pink in-between. He runs out of position though, with the cue ball travelling much further up the table than he hoped. Safety? not a chance. A sensational long blue into the right corner

O'Sullivan 0-2 Tian (1-96)

An end break for 51 for Tian, whose positional play has been excellent, as well as his ability to develop the table as he plays around it. Deserving of that lead so far

O'Sullivan 0-1 Tian (1-75*)

Excellent from Tian, who takes those reds, and develops another in the process. He's made the perfect start

O'Sullivan 0-1 Tian (1-59*)

Another missed long red from Ronnie. This really has been an uncharacteristically poor start for him. Tian shoots and scores, then takes a superb long pink into the green pocket. A further red, accompanied by another pink, means he needs two of the remaining six reds, with colours, to leave Ronnie requiring snookers

O'Sullivan 0-1 Tian (1-45)

The break comes to an end at 45 though, as he loses position on the pink, which he manages to sink, but the cue ball doesn't have any oomph behind it at all, hitting the black and leaving him on the top cushion.

O'Sullivan 0-1 Tian (1-38*)

Well, Tian is certainly making the most of this chance. Each red he takes clears the path for another, and he's able to score heavily by regularly adding the black. He could't have hoped for a much better start than this

O'Sullivan 0-1 Tian (1-8*)

Tian gets some luck with his get-out, managing to hit a red and send the cue ball towards the side cushion. Ronnie then misses a toughish red. He hasn't got going at all. Tian is in position now, and fires home his opener, with a handy kiss keeping the cue ball at the right end of the table. Black squeezed home, and big chance now

O'Sullivan 0-1 Tian (1-0)

An intriguing safety battle at the start of frame two is ended by Ronnie fluking a red into the right corner. He then plays safe behind the green. All 14 of the remaining reds are to the right of the blue spot, so the table has a congested and strange look to it.

Murphy through to the last four

About half an hour ago, Shaun Murphy booked his place in a 48th ranking event semi-final. Read all about his demolition of Yuan Sijun here

O'Sullivan 0-1 Tian (9-96)

Excellent and confident start from Tian Pengfei, with some clinical potting, helped by a couple of misses from Ronnie. He fires in a double himself en route to a break of 30

O'Sullivan 0-0 Tian (9-67*)

And we're seeing some magic! An amazing double, played with wonderful side to get position on the black...but he then misses the black off its spot! Tian responds by sinking a long red to the green pocket, and he's going to take the opening frame

O'Sullivan 0-0 Tian (*8-66)

And 66 is the end total for Tian, as he can't squeeze one of those awkward reds home, rattling the jaws of the left corner. Ronnie cleans that up and adds the black, but the table looks thoroughly uninviting for him. He's going to have to work his magic for a clearance

O'Sullivan 0-0 Tian (0-66*)

This has largely been a faultless break from Tian. There's one red which takes a large chunk of the jaw on its way into the left middle, but generally speaking he's been superb. There are six reds left on the table now, but none of them are easy, with five close to the cushions

O'Sullivan 0-0 Tian (0-30*)

Well, opening chance to Tian, and what a chance it is. Ronnie misses a red to the left corner by a long way, and the cue ball sticks at the top end of the table with lots of reds to choose from. They're spread nicely, the black and pink are available, and he's just picking them off

Here we go!

After a 15 minute rest, the excitement at Venue Cymru is palpable as Ronnie and Tian join us! Tian is looking to reach his first ever semi-final - and he's got a mountain to climb to do so. The Rocket breaks things off and we're underway

Coming up next

The Rocket is about to take to the baize. Ronnie O'Sullivan's quarter-final with Tian Pengfei is next. They'll be with us shortly

Marvelous Murphy

Murphy of course won the 2020 Welsh Open title. He's now through to his 48th ranking event semi-final

Murphy 5-0 Yuan (78-35)

And that will be that. Yuan leaves the green in a potable position. Murphy obliges by taking that, and adds the brown and blue for good measure. Emphatic stuff from the Magician, who reaches the semi-finals with a whitewash!

Murphy 4-0 Yuan (66-35)

A wry smile from Yuan as he finally gets some luck by fortuitously potting the yellow

Murphy 4-0 Yuan (66-33)

Yuan takes the remaining red with a pink. 33 the deficit, 27 left on

Murphy 4-0 Yuan (66-26)

Frame ball is the pink off the penultimate red. Expertly played, and screws back for the awkward red on the side cushion. He can't quite pot that, leaving it hanging over the green pocket, but two snookers needed by Yuan

Murphy 4-0 Yuan (*59-26)

Now that could be that for Yuan. He tries to find that green pocket again with a long red, but misses once more. Some comfort comes from the cue ball resting against the blue, but it matters not to Shaun, who cleans up the red, adds the blue and is steaming towards the winning line

Murphy 4-0 Yuan (45-26)

Once more, he loses position off a red though, trying to develop a cluster around the pink spot and leaving himself a long blue to the green pocket. He hits the jaws. End of break.

Murphy 4-0 Yuan (45-25*)

This has been a bit scrappy from Shaun. Yuan adds another six points before playing a safety that leaves a long red. Murphy misses it by some distance, with cue and object ball flying up the table. Yuan takes the same red to the green pocket, but his positional play is poor once more. He has to recover by taking a long blue to the right corner, and brilliantly pots it

Murphy 4-0 Yuan (45-13)

A brief safety exchange follows, but Murphy blinks first, leaving a long red to the right corner which Yuan manages to sink. He adds the black, and another red, before missing a regulation yellow off its spot. His facial expressions and bowing head tell us what he's thinking right now, but he'll get another go as Shaun goes in-off with the cue ball

Murphy 4-0 Yuan (45-0)

No, Yuan will be coming back to the table. Murphy goes into the pack after potting the pink, but there's nothing for him to pot. A lead of 45 is more than handy though, and he plays safe by sending the cue ball up towards baulk

Murphy 4-0 Yuan (*38-0)

Nothing is going Yuan's way. He tries a long red to the right corner, misses and leaves Murphy in perfect position. He'll need to open the pack shortly, but this is some heavy scoring. Yuan might have played his last shot

Murphy 4-0 Yuan (6-0)

Perfect start to frame five for Murphy thanks to a glorious long red to the right corner, followed by a blue, but the cue ball runs slightly out of position and he can't squeeze a tough red home

Here we go again

The players are back on the baize! Murphy needs one frame to progress. Yuan needs a miracle.

Some mid-session interval reading

Both players head for a short break, then, and Murphy couldn't be in a stronger position. Ronnie O'Sullivan is up next, and he's been talking about his equipment problems.

Murphy 4-0 Yuan (78-68)

Incredible, from the Magician, who really did wave his magic wand there. He is slightly out of position on the blue, but plays a terrific shot to get on to the pink, and then rolls hom that tough black. Back from the dead in that frame, and only one more needed to reach the semi-finals

Murphy 3-0 Yuan (*60-68)

Murphy takes the green as his extra red, and follows it with the pink. Where he might come unstuck is that the black is on the top cushion, and he needs it. Even so, the finail red is cleared up with a pink. All about the colours now, and he's taken them all so far, up to the blue

Murphy 3-0 Yuan (37-68)

Remarkable. Murphy sets up another stunning snooker by putting the cue ball behind the brown. Superb safety play from the Magician. Yuan hits first time, but Shaun then puts the cue ball back behind the brown again, and this time Yuan misses. Four points to Murphy - and it's a free ball. Wow.

Murphy 3-0 Yuan (33-68)

Yuan can't hit with his escape, so Murphy gets four points back. He's now set up another snooker, too which Yuan misses once more. So it's all to play for again. 35 the lead, 35 left on the table. Shaun's decision to persevere pays off

Murphy 3-0 Yuan (25-68)

Murphy cleans up three of those reds with blacks, and now for the snooker off the last one. He lays it up by putting the cue ball behind the pink and sending the red up towards the yellow pocket

Murphy 3-0 Yuan (1-68)

And he duly takes that frame ball, cutting a red into the left corner. The black of its spot makes it a break of 37, but Murphy returns to the table. Four reds are left on, so he needs two four point snookers to tie

Murphy 3-0 Yuan (1-60*)

Again, this is Yuan's highest break of the match, 29 and counting, after a thumping blue into the left middle. One more red will make it snookers required

Murphy 3-0 Yuan (1-47*)

Yuan's safety play has improved significantly in this frame. A battle between the two ends in Murphy rolling his eyes and appearing to gesture that the cue ball rolled off line slightly en route to catching a red thicker than intended. As such, he's left an opening for Yuan, but his positional play lets him down. He's far too high on a tough red, but a good recovery pot keeps him going

Murphy 3-0 Yuan (1-31)

A superb safety from Yuan has left Murphy in all kinds of bother, with the white tight up to the yellow. He's taken plenty of time plotting an escape, puffing his cheeks out in exasperation. Eventually he attempts a one cushion shot, but slides some distance past the pack. A readjustment though, and he hits second time

Murphy 3-0 Yuan (1-27)

There's still a red that Murphy can fire into the right middle, but he's not able to add a colour after the cue ball rocks up against the blue

Murphy 3-0 Yuan (0-27)

A deft split of the pack opens up a few more options as Yuan passes his previous highest break, but it all goes wrong when digging down on the black, which he pushes into the knuckle of the pocket, while the cue ball finished way out of position

Murphy 3-0 Yuan (0-18*)

That will give Yuan a boost. WIth cue ball tight on the balk cushion, he can still squeeze home a long red to the right corner. It takes a couple of shots for him to find position, adding the green and then a red, before taking the blue, which finally leaves him around the pack.

Murphy 3-0 Yuan (88-4)

No century, as Shaun gets his angles slightly wrong on a cut into the right middle, but the frame was already well and truly sewn up. He's flying, and Yuan must be very worried. 81 the end break - Yuan's top break in the match so far is 25

Murphy 2-0 Yuan (*81-4)

He's well and truly past the winning line in this frame now. Can he add another century? The only potential sticking point appears to be a red that is a couple of inches away from the right side cushion. 74 on the break so far

Murphy 2-0 Yuan (*58-4)

Shaun has displayed some lovely touch on this visit, dinking and clipping his way into position, and moving more reds into play as he does so. Six reds left on the table and already a lead of 54. Frame ball is approaching

Murphy 2-0 Yuan (*27-4)

Yuan simply must tighten up his safety play. He leaves another mid-distance red for Murphy, who thumps it home. This is a much better chance to build a significant break, as the pack are slightly more spread and he's not having to make the cue ball do as much travelling

Murphy 2-0 Yuan (7-4)

Yuan attempts a long red to the right corner, but he fails to pot it, and leaves a cut home for Murphy, who adds the yellow, but can't find position around the pack. Another scrappy frame developing

Murphy 2-0 Yuan (4-4)

Murphy is in a bit of a predicament here. A little safety battle has concluded with him being behind the green and struggling for sight of a red. He's trying an escape route, having to come off two cushions, and misses first time, but hits on the second attempt, a half ball kiss that takes the cue ball back towards baulk. He's done well there

Murphy 2-0 Yuan (4-0)

Both players miss an early red in frame three, but Yuan's failure proves slightly more costly, as Murphy is able to clear that ball up. He adds the green, and goes into the pack off the cue ball with it. Unfortunately, that doesn't work out, and he has to play safe

Ronnie coming up

The Rocket is in quarter-final action after this one. It's not been an easy week for him, due to a few cue issues, but he's getting on with it!

Murphy 2-0 Yuan (86-25)

The final red is frame ball, and he takes that with a green to ensure Yuan won't be coming back to the table. A tidy positional shot on to the yellow, which is off its spot, follows. Shaun is beginning to motor. The end total for that break was 81

Murphy 1-0 Yuan (*55-25)

This has been clinical from Murphy, who's on course for a big score here. A lovely little kiss off the pink onto the final two reds opens them up. It would be a shock for him not to take the frame now

Murphy 1-0 Yuan (*23-25)

It appears Murphy is better from distance at the moment. A thumping red into the left corner gets him back to the table, although life is made awkward by pink and black being off their spots. He takes the former off his second red and is building a healthier break now

Murphy 1-0 Yuan (5-25)

And Yuan is beginning to regret that loose safety. Murphy responds with a better shot, and the next time the 2005 World Champ comes to the table, he's able to pot a long red, follows by a superb green up into the left corner. He then misses a regulation black of its spot though. He should have done better

Murphy 1-0 Yuan (0-25)

And unfortunately, the split into the pack doesn't go well. Just 25 for Yuan, before he has to play safe - and it's not the greatest safety you've ever seen, either

Murphy 1-0 Yuan (0-19*)

A tidy start to frame two for Yuan, who takes a loose red off the Murphy break off, adding a green and then finding position. He will have to go into the pack shortly, but it's a promising start

Murphy has been scoring big

Of course, Shaun has been playing some incredible snooker this week, including a 147 break against Daniel Wells yesterday! He compared himself to Neo from the Matrix afterwards!

Murphy 1-0 Yuan (76-43)

That will help Shaun settle down. A confidence boosting break of 44, which includes some good positional pay and clinical pots. He takes the lead

Murphy 0-0 Yuan (*56-43)

The escape does leave Murphy a nice opening red to the right corner though, and the angle is perfect to add the black. Rest required for the penultimate red, which he slides home, again accompanied by a black. Now for the last red, a tricky one along the top cushion. Taken, superbly, although it catches the jaw as well. Third black added and the frame is at his mercy now

Murphy 0-0 Yuan (32-43)

Murphy takes a couple of reds, with a blue in between, before playing an excellent safety off the pink. There's three reds left on the table now, and Yuan can't see any of them because he's behind the brown. He's having play a one cushion escape and misses first time, but is successful on the second attempt

Murphy 0-0 Yuan (21-43)

Yuan is left on a red to the left corner. He could barely have put the cue ball in a better position. He's now able to pick off some of the other reds, accompanied by blacks. Healthy lead being built - until a red to the left corner is missed

Murphy 0-0 Yuan (21-19)

That's much better from Shaun, a terrific long pot into the left middle, screwing back for the blue in the process. An excellent bit of cueing, but less so off his second red, where he runs out of position and has to take a the pink up to the yellow pocket. He misses, and leaves Yuan in a very inviting position

Murphy 0-0 Yuan (14-19)

It really has been a scrappy start. Both players miss a pot on the same red, and the table isn't looking particularly inviting either, with two reds on the top cushion and the black tied up

Murphy 0-0 Yuan (14-19)

Only eight added by Yuan in that visit. He runs out of position and tries to cut a red to the left middle, but misses

Murphy 0-0 Yuan (14-11)

An untidy start for both players, who are able to at least get to the table and pot a few balls, but neither are able to put in a sizeable contribution. A long red from Murphy to the left corner is missed, too, and that's going to give Yuan a chance to build something more noteworthy

Good afternoon!

Hello and welcome to today's coverage from the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open in Llandundo! We've got Ronnie O'Sullivan in action later, but first up, it's Shaun Murphy against Yuan Sijun. First to five reaches the semis!

Friday's quarter-final schedule

12:00

Shaun Murphy v Yuan Sijun

14:30

Tian Pengfei v Ronnie O'Sullivan

19:00

Joe O'Connor v Pang Junxu
Robert Milkins v Mark Allen

'I felt like Neo from the Matrix' - Murphy blown away by 147 and 145 breaks

Shaun Murphy felt he had cracked the code and was "like Neo from the Matrix" during a purple patch in his win over Daniel Wells at the Welsh Open.

With his form much improved in the 2022/23 season, Murphy hit rare heights in his 4-1 win over Wells.

He wrestled the high break from David Gilbert in the second frame thanks to a 145, but that was a mere hors d'oeuvres for the main course of a maximum 147 that followed one frame later.

Assessing how he felt during that remarkable 20-minute period, Murphy said: “Very briefly, I felt like Neo from the Matrix. I was seeing green lines everywhere.

“That’s what the hours of practice are for, to get in when that happens and try to keep it going.

“The flipside of that is in the next frame I had a chance to put the match to bed and messed it up, so it does not last forever.

“It’s just your alignment clicks, your sighting clicks, your striking clicks and all the balls go in. Sometimes it is easy, but most of the time it is really hard.”

Read the full story here

- - -

Stream the 2023 Welsh Open are more top snooker action live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk

Welsh Open