Stephen Maguire defeated old rival Shaun Murphy 13-9 to make the quarter-finals of the Cazoo World Championship at the Crucible Theatre.
The pair have been engaged in a heated rivalry which extends back three decades. This was the 24th meeting between Maguire and Murphy, with victory for the former taking the head-to-head record dead level at 12-12.
The win for Maguire means he has now beaten Murphy in their last four meetings. Their previous clash came at the 2022 World Championship, when the Scot prevailed 10-8 in the first round.
They contested a fiery first two sessions, which saw both players in demonstrable moods around the table, celebrating frame clinching moments. After Maguire deposited the final pink of the second session to end 10-6 up, he hammered the table and clenched his fist with delight.
When play got back underway this morning, a break of 68 from Maguire extended his lead to 11-6. Murphy claimed the next and had looked good to pull within three in the 19th, but an unexpected missed red on 43 let his opponent in. Maguire pounced with 73 to move one from the win at 12-7.
The Magician kept himself alive with two on the bounce. However, it was Maguire who forced his way over the line in style with a sublime 127, the first century of the match. It puts Maguire through to his eighth Crucible quarter-final, where he will meet David Gilbert.
“There’s a lot of pressure out there. The crowd get involved and they are that close. You end up getting involved. A wee bit of emotion, or actually a big bit of emotion, got out. It must mean a lot, because if it didn’t then there would be no emotion like that. That’s what every player does when they go to the dressing room. They go nuts. They normally hold it in the arena. I let it slip a little bit there.”
Stephen Maguire
2004 UK Champion
Maguire added: “He looked like he was comfortable in that session so I was starting to get geared up for a comeback and a close finish. Once I got my chance, I finished pretty well there.
“Me and Dave (Gilbert) get on and we’ve grown up with each other for the best part of 30 years. He is a great player. He’s not had a great season by his standards. I’m probably the same, so we are coming into a good game at the right time.
“The quarter-finals are the pressure matches. I’ve won a couple and lost a couple. It is a match you don’t want to lose in because that arena changes and it does become the best in the world with the one table.”
Murphy said: “I just wasn’t good enough throughout the match. It was typical of my season really. There were some glimpses of some good stuff but far too many self-inflicted mistakes to challenge Stephen. I thought he played really well and he was very solid. I wish him all the best for the rest of the tournament.”
On the other table, seven-time World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan continued his quest for a record eighth Crucible crown by earning a 5-3 lead over Ryan Day in their second round encounter.
The Rocket got off to a blistering start here in Sheffield with a 10-1 win over Jackson Page in round one. Day earned his place in the last 16 with a 10-8 win over Barry Hawkins.
The opening two frames this morning went the way of O'Sullivan, who hasn't lost to Day since the 2011 China Open. He composed runs of 123 and 84 to move 2-0 up. However, Day responded well to take the following two and head into the mid-session all square.
O'Sullivan moved 4-2 ahead, before a break of 115 saw Day pull within a frame. The last of the morning went the way of O'Sullivan, who ended two ahead at 5-3.
They resume this evening at 7pm.
