Match Reports from the 888.com World Championship
Stevens Makes Murphy Bitter
Matthew Stevens 11 – 5 Shaun Murphy
Matthew Stevens won the last five frames of the evening session to close in on a sixth Crucible semi-final.
The Welshman got off to a fast start, with breaks of 46, 118 and 64 helping him to a 3-0 lead.
An 82 got Murphy on the board before the interval, and it was the man from Rotherham who had the upper hand after the break. The 2005 champion took three of the four remaining frames, sandwiched around another century from Stevens, to finish the first session at 4-4.
Both players grew tense at the start of the evening session, and the quality dropped considerably as a result.
Very few long pots were made, and it took two hours to complete the first four frames. Of those, it was Stevens who was able to grind out an advantage. Breaks of 61 and 62 were good enough for the 29-year-old to go 7-5 up.
Murphy could not find any sustained form. His mood was not helped by giving away an unprecedented 52 points in fouls across the four frames.
After the interval the quality picked up again, although it was almost totally from Stevens. Murphy looked set to win the 13th frame with a break of 52, only to miss frame ball. He was then forced to watch as Stevens pinched the frame on the final black.
After that, Murphy did not pot a ball in the remaining three frames. Stevens, who needs to win the match to stay in the top 16 for next season, won them in under 40 minutes.
His 81 in the final frame of the evening extended the gap to 11-5, to get within two frames of victory. It left Murphy needing a miracle when they return this morning for the final session.
