Former world champion Shaun Murphy cruised into the second round of the World Snooker Championship with a 10-5 victory over Lyu Haotian at the Crucible on Monday.
Murphy, who won the title in 2005, started the match with a 6-3 lead from the previous session and extended his advantage to 8-3 with breaks of 57 and 67. Haotian won two of the next three frames to reduce the deficit to 8-5, but Murphy wrapped up the match in style with a break of 81.
“I haven’t won a match since I beat Kyren Wilson here in 2021,” Murphy told the BBC. “It’s such a relief, it’s so rewarding and pleasing, I haven’t won a match here for a few seasons. I’m delighted to have got that win and in the second round of the tournament.”
In the other match of the day, Stuart Bingham took a 6-3 lead over Gary Wilson after the first session. Bingham made a superb start, falling just two points short of an opening-frame century break and rattling off the next three frames before Wilson got on the scoreboard.
Bingham then extended his lead to 5-1 with a 117 break, but Wilson reduced the deficit to 6-3 with a session-high break of 60.
However, Bingham missed a routine black on the final ball of the last frame, allowing Wilson to reduce the deficit to three heading into the second session.
