Mark Selby booked his spot within the quarter-finals of the 2025 Shanghai Masters with a powerful efficiency on Tuesday in China.
On a day the place there was relentlessly heavy scoring on the prestigious invitational, Selby thrashed outdated rival Shaun Murphy 6-0 to succeed in the final eight.
The four-time world champion compiled breaks of 137, 115, 81, 73, 66, and 52 as he restricted his fellow Englishman to only 52 factors throughout the complete contest.
“I performed roughly faultless,” Mark Selby, who first crossed paths with Murphy on the junior circuit three a long time in the past, instructed the World Snooker Tour.
“I didn’t actually miss too many photographs – one or two. However total it was a superb show, so I can’t be too vital with myself.”
“My first correct match of the season in a giant comp, and to do it in opposition to any individual of Shaun’s class is basically pleasing.
“Shaun’s somewhat bit older than me, however I keep in mind the primary time I noticed him, and you might inform that he stood out above all the opposite juniors.
“His approach was roughly precisely the identical as it’s now, it was nice to look at. He was to date forward of everybody else at that junior degree.
“I feel he performed within the Dr. Marten’s Premier League when he was 12 or 13 or one thing. It simply reveals what a category act he’s.
“It’s loopy but it surely’s nice as nicely to see that we’re nonetheless competing on the high degree in spite of everything these years. We’ve had some nice battles.
“Shaun has bashed me up loads of occasions and vice versa, and I’m positive we’ll play one another once more many occasions earlier than we end our profession.
“I’ve been taking part in somewhat bit, [but] nowhere close to as a lot as I put in over earlier years going into a brand new season.
“After I misplaced to Ben [Woollaston] within the World Championships, I needed to put a brand new ferrule on, as a result of my ferrule was unfastened throughout the recreation.
“Quite than simply put a brass ferrule again on, I believed I’d attempt a titanium one. Everybody was occurring about them, so I believed I’m going to must get used to a brass ferrule anyway.
“It was no totally different with the titanium, so I believed I’d give it a go. I’ve caught with it and stored it on, and it appears okay for the time being.
“Lengthy might it proceed, so long as it doesn’t come unfastened.
“It was actually robust [losing at the Crucible]. Taking nothing away from Ben, he performed nicely and deserved to win the match over two periods.
“However it was simply irritating, as a result of I went in there as assured as I may very well be. I performed nicely throughout the season, I performed nicely in opposition to John [Higgins] within the final match earlier than the World Championships.
“Then issues occurred that had been sort of out of my management. I miscued in one of many frames and ended up splitting my tip.
“However I’m not making any excuses – it occurred. It’s simply unlucky that it occurred in that comp at that specific time.”
On a loopy second day on the Shanghai Masters, Zhang Anda compiled an impressive 147 break in opposition to house favorite Ding Junhui.
The pair traded a brace of tons as their battle went all the way in which to a deciding body, which Ding edged courtesy of a well timed 68 contribution.
The tons from Ding took his profession tally to 700, seeing China’s primary develop into solely the eighth participant in historical past to succeed in the milestone.
There was much more prolific scoring within the Kyren Wilson and Si Jiahui affair with a break of 55 of their opening body representing the bottom in an 11-frame masterclass of potting.
Si’s runs of 55, 124, 129, 95, and 127 had been countered by Wilson’s 120, 82, 114, 114, 83, and 97 because the latter prevailed in a 6-5 decider.
Had Wilson not missed the final black within the closing body – the place he tried a no-look pot to entertain the gang – the document of six mixed century breaks in a best-of-11 fixture would have been damaged.
World primary Judd Trump was equally in a scoring temper, in the meantime, because the reigning Shanghai Masters champion thumped Neil Robertson 6-2.
Trump, who gained the title for the primary time 12 months in the past, made breaks of 127, 125, 103, 68, 68, and 64 to see off the Australian and arrange a quarter-final bout with Selby.
On Wednesday, there will likely be loads of pleasure as world champion Zhao Xintong and five-time Shanghai Masters winner Ronnie O’Sullivan enter the fray.
Zhao faces Chris Wakelin whereas the Rocket launches his 2025/26 snooker season in opposition to Barry Hawkins.
Earlier than that, the opposite two round-of-16 clashes will see Mark Williams encounter Ali Carter and John Higgins entertain Xiao Guodong.
Shanghai Masters draw
Spherical of 24 (bo11)
Neil Robertson 6-2 Pang Junxu
Shaun Murphy 6-0 Han Fuyuan
Xiao Guodong 6-3 Lei Peifan
Ali Carter 6-1 Qiu Lei
Si Jiahui 6-4 Wang Xinbo
Barry Hawkins 6-4 Wu Yize
Zhang Anda 6-5 Yuan Sijun
Chris Wakelin 6-3 Zhou Jinhao
Spherical of 16 (bo11)
Judd Trump 6-2 Neil Robertson
Mark Selby 6-0 Shaun Murphy
John Higgins vs Xiao Guodong
Wednesday, July thirtieth – 7am
Mark Williams vs Ali Carter
Wednesday, July thirtieth – 7am
Kyren Wilson 6-5 Si Jiahui
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Barry Hawkins
Wednesday, July thirtieth – 12:30pm
Ding Junhui 6-5 Zhang Anda
Zhao Xintong vs Chris Wakelin
Wednesday, July thirtieth – 12:30pm
Quarter-Finals (bo11)
Judd Trump vs Mark Selby
Thursday, July thirty first – 7am
Higgins/Xiao vs Williams/Carter
Thursday, July thirty first – 7am
Kyren Wilson vs O’Sullivan/Hawkins
Thursday, July thirty first – 12:30pm
Ding Junhui vs Zhao/Wakelin
Thursday, July thirty first – 12:30pm
The semi-finals (bo19) will likely be performed on Friday, August 1st and Saturday, August 2nd. Schedule TBC.
The closing (bo21) will likely be performed on Sunday, August third at 7am and 12:30pm.
All occasions are in UTC+1 (BST)
Featured photograph credit score: WST
