Shaun Murphy of England triumphed over Ding Junhui of the Chinese mainland with a score of 5-2 in the round of 16 at the World Snooker Tour (WST) World Open held in Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, on Wednesday.
Murphy, known as \"The Magician,\" secured three of the first four frames, establishing a 3-1 lead after the opening session. Ding launched a counterattack in the fifth frame, but despite not making a maximum break, Murphy capitalized on the opportunity and conceded the frame.
In the sixth frame, Ding had a chance to level the match after initially leading 20-1. However, a bumper mishap cost him the frame, leaving Murphy just one win away from advancing. Demonstrating his prowess, Murphy concluded the seventh frame with a break of 93, clinching his spot in the quarterfinals as the highest-ranked player remaining in the draw.
In other matches, Joe O'Connor advanced to the last eight after defeating Michael Holt 5-3 in an all-English showdown. Ali Carter eliminated David Lilley 5-1 and is set to face Barry Hawkins, who overcame Ryan Day of Wales 5-3. Zak Surety knocked out home favorite Liu Hongyu 5-2 and will meet Tom Ford in the next round. Additionally, Pang Junxu emerged victorious against Xu Si 5-2, becoming the only home competitor to progress and will face Scotland's John Higgins, who narrowly defeated Zhou Yuelong of the Chinese mainland 5-4.
