Zhao Xintong v Shaun Murphy live stream | World Snooker Championship 2026 preview
Zhao and Murphy go head-to-head (Photos via Alamy)
Zhao Xintong puts his World Snooker Championship title defence on the line once more against former Crucible king Shaun Murphy in the quarter-finals.
The reigning champion takes on the players who triumphed in Sheffield 20 years earlier for a place in the semi-finals.
They are meeting for the third time this season, with both previous encounters also occurring in the quarter-finals at the Riyadh Season Championship and Players Championship.
On both occasions, too, Zhao prevailed before going on to lift the trophy, so he will hope that serves as a positive omen as his quest to break the notorious ‘Crucible Curse’ continues.
The Cyclone came through a nervy first-round match against Liam Highfield on the opening day, eventually running out a 10-7 winner.
He then got the better of compatriot Ding Junhui 13-9 in a battle of the Chinese icons, becoming the first maiden World champion to reach the following year’s quarter-finals since Judd Trump in 2020.
Ronnie O’Sullivan was the last first-time Crucible winner to reach the semi-finals 12 months later, a feat Murphy will attempt to prevent Zhao from achieving.
The Magician’s own World title defence ended at the quarter-final stage in 2006, losing 13-12 to Peter Ebdon. He will hope to inflict a similar fate on his opponent two decades on.
Murphy is set for his first appearance in the last eight at the Crucible for five years, and targeting a sixth semi-final appearance.
The Magician has progressed to his 10th quarter-final in Sheffield via a pair of contrasting victories.
This season’s British Open champion produced a nerveless 50 clearance to snatch a 10-9 victory over Fan Zhengyi on the final pink in the opening round. He then hit breaks of 115, 103, 103, 103, 93, 79, 69, 66, 64, 63, 61 to sweep Xiao Guodong aside 13-3 with a session to spare.
The players will do battle over the best of 25 frames with another former Crucible king awaiting the winner in the semi-finals, in Neil Robertson or John Higgins.
The match breaks off at 10am BST on Tuesday with the opening eight frames, continuing with another eight at 7pm, before playing to a finish at 2.30pm on Wednesday.
How to watch Zhao Xintong v Shaun Murphy live stream
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