Mark Selby v Shaun Murphy live stream | British Open Semi-Final preview
Good friends Selby and Murphy face off for a place in the final (Credit: Every Second Media/Alamy Live News)
Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy will put their friendship to one side when they face off for a place in Sunday’s British Open final.
The two good friends do battle at The Centaur in Cheltenham on Saturday for the right to play Anthony McGill in the showpiece.
Reigning champion Selby is aiming to become the first player in British Open history to successfully defend the title, after reaching the semi-finals for a third year running.
After opening with a 4-1 victory over David Grace, the Jester edged out Liu Hongyu and Joe O’Connor in deciding frames, before whitewashing Chang Bingyu and defeating fellow multiple World champion Mark Williams 5-3 in the quarter-finals.
Selby is now gearing up for his 68th ranking semi-final – and second in as many weeks – and looks to remain on course for a 25th title.
The Leicester cueman inflicted a comprehensive 6-0 whitewash on Murphy when they last collided at this season’s Shanghai Masters, though the Magician has prevailed in three of the last four semi-finals they have contested.
Murphy is appearing in the last four of a ranking tournament for only the second time this year, having endured a loss of form in recent times and slipped out of the world’s top 16.
But having returned to the elite bracket, the 2005 Crucible king opened the week with successive 4-1 wins over Ross Muir and Scott Donaldson. He then defeated Neil Robertson and Judd Trump on moving Thursday, before putting Mitchell Mann to the sword 5-1 in the quarter-finals.
Murphy is now set to play his 54th ranking semi-final – 21 years after his first which, coincidentally, also came in this event – and looks to maintain a 50% success rate by reaching a 27th final.
With the identity of one finalist already determined in world number 57 McGill, whoever prevails here will go into Sunday’s final as the favourite to lift the Clive Everton trophy.
The match breaks off at 7pm BST on Saturday and will be contested over the best of 11 frames at The Centaur in Cheltenham.
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