10-5! 10-9! Snooker World Championship Report! World No.1 Wins Big, Fan Zhenyi Suffers Murphy's Last-Gasp Defeat

On April 22 Beijing time, the first round of the Snooker World Championship main event continued with intense clashes. Two more matches ended in the early morning. World No.1 Judd Trump swept to a commanding 10-5 win over Gary Wilson, whereas Chinese contender Fan Zhenyi battled through 19 frames only to fall 9-10 in a dramatic final-frame loss to multiple champion Shaun Murphy. It was truly unfortunate, and China also lost the opportunity to claim all four quarter-final berths ahead of time!

Fan Zhenyi once defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the European Masters title, but his performance later became inconsistent without further championships. Currently ranked 63rd in the world, he qualified for this World Championship and faced all-around champion Shaun Murphy in the first round. Murphy, ranked eighth globally, had a strong season with a UK Open title and two runner-up finishes. Overall, there was a significant gap in skill between the two, and Murphy has a notable record against Chinese players, making a upset by Fan Zhenyi highly challenging. The match started with both players locked in a fierce struggle, exchanging 3-1 scorelines in the first stage to tie at 4-4. Murphy took the ninth frame with a 140-point break, leaving Fan trailing 4-5. In the second stage, they traded blows back and forth. Fan clung tightly to the scoreline, trailing 8-9 but resiliently leveled at 9-9. In the decisive frame, Fan accumulated 53 points with successive plays but missed a red ball into the middle pocket, leaving an opportunity. Murphy seized it, cleared the table to surpass the score, and sealed the match. Thus, Murphy clinched a 10-9 last-frame victory over Fan Zhenyi to advance to the Round of 16. After winning, Murphy celebrated with consecutive fist pumps!

World No.1 Judd Trump secured the German Masters title this season and reached finals in many events, maintaining a strong form. In the first round, he faced Gary Wilson, which posed a certain test. The match began with both players experiencing fluctuating form. Trump started slowly, allowing Wilson to build a dream 4-1 lead. A major upset seemed possible, but Trump soon erupted spectacularly, scoring a century break and a 70+ break, winning four consecutive frames to reverse the score to 5-4 and end the first stage ahead. In the second stage, Wilson leveled at 5-5 with a 50+ break, bringing them back to parity. However, the situation then turned one-sided. Trump excelled in both attack and defense, notching two 60+ breaks and delivering a stunning five-frame winning streak, ultimately crushing Wilson 10-5 to powerfully march into the Round of 16!

With Murphy's advancement, 11 spots in the tournament's Round of 16 have now been confirmed. Murphy's defeat of Fan Zhenyi also shattered China's aim to secure all four quarter-final spots early, preventing Fan from joining Xiao Guodong. The Snooker World Championship continues today, promising more thrilling matches!

Text / Sports Novel