Four consecutive breaks! Snooker Players Championship: Three in the semifinals, all matches ended 6-3, Zhao Xintong dominates Murphy

On February 21st Beijing time, the quarterfinals of the Snooker Players Championship continued fiercely. A recent match just ended where China's last hope Zhao Xintong faced off against the veteran Murphy from the 80s generation, aiming for a semifinal spot. Zhao exploded with power in the latter stages, delivering a lightning-fast sequence of four consecutive breaks to crush Murphy 6-3, eliminating the Grand Slam champion and advancing strongly to the semifinals, keeping his championship hopes alive!

This tournament featured five Chinese players, but they suffered heavy losses with four consecutive defeats. The last to play was Zhao Xintong, who faced immense pressure. Ranked seventh in the world, Zhao recently claimed the Hong Kong Masters title and was in excellent form. In the first round, he struggled against the dark horse Slater, falling behind 2-5, but showed his world champion caliber by staging a stunning comeback with four consecutive breaks to win 6-5 and reach the quarterfinals. His opponent in the quarters was Murphy, one of the '80s five tigers' and also a Grand Slam champion, who had crushed Zhang Anda 6-1 in the first round to advance.

The match began with a tightly contested first frame, which Zhao won with a 67 break. Murphy then responded with breaks of 66 and 77 to take two frames and lead 2-1. However, Zhao quickly fought back and unleashed a brilliant 142 break along with two more 60+ breaks, stringing together four consecutive frames to lead 5-2. Murphy managed to claw back a frame with some scrappy play, but in the ninth frame, Zhao struck decisively with a commanding 118 break, sealing a 6-3 victory and securing his place in the semifinals!

It must be said that Zhao played incredibly dominantly in this match, with impeccable accuracy and excellent cue control. He capitalized on every opportunity, forcing Murphy to play cautiously without any chance to slip up. This was a harsh lesson for the opponent who once doubted Zhao's world championship potential—truly satisfying to watch!

With this result, three semifinalists have emerged from the tournament: Higgins, Trump, and Zhao Xintong. Remarkably, all three won their matches by the same scoreline of 6-3. The only remaining quarterfinal match between Selby and Mark Allen is still ongoing. Currently, Selby is in a tough spot down 0-5 but is mounting a comeback, having won two frames to make it 2-5. The final score could also end up 6-3. Let's wait and see!

Written by / Sports Novel