Champion of Champions snooker 2023 recap – Judd Trump beats Shaun Murphy in last eight

Thanks for your company; join us again tomorrow at 12.30pm GMT for the first semi-final: Mark Allen v John Higgins.

Well played boys, that was fantastic. Judd, finishing with a ton, meets Barry Hawkins on Saturday. I'm salivating already.

Both men have played some amazing stuff tonight, but Judd's best is just - juddst - that bit better than his and, at the moment, everyone else's too. He's a total one-off, and I hope he keeps this form up.

Judd gets in again, and the way the balls are this should be curtains.

Wow! Off Shaun's break, the sweetest strike from Judd, a red oozed into left corner, and here he goes again, trying to get this match past tense. And look at that! He strokes a red long to the yellow ... but shortly afterwards, runs out of position. Dare he attempt a red close to the pink to left corner? Angles reckons he's playing with Shaun, pretending to take it on, he settles ... and plays safe.

This really is an absorbing contest and Shaun chips in the pink to close the gap to one.

Judd sticks blue into green and lays a snooker behind the black, but only half-ball; Shaun hits.

Shaun misses the blue into left-middle, so Judd returns to the table needing a snooker ... and gets one in behind the black first go! Amazing shot, but Shaun hits and gets one back; Judd hits and gets one back! This is some serious heat from both players.

The green is on the side, near left corner, and look at that! Shaun rockets in a yellow, comes around the angles, and he's there for the next pot! But digging into it with the rest, he comes a little too far, too close to the brown, so it's a safety shot. A poor one, but not one that costs him - yet, at least. If Judd were to take this, it'd be three on the black in a row, but currently he's snookered behind all the other remaining balls, his escape leaves brown, and this is going to be one back! What a match this is!

Left with no other option but to leave a nasty one to left-middle, Judd leaves a nasty one to left-middle. Shaun knows that if he misses it, he's out ... and he glides in a beauty! Phil Yates notes that in last year's UK, Shaun beat Judd 6-5 from 5-3 down, dominating the last three frames, and he's relishing the challenge of this, you can see.

In comms, Angles is purring once more, noting when Judd played his escape, he was playing a containing shot to get a look at a more attacking one in due course. And he does, but potting the green, the white lands in more or the less the only place it could to leave nowt. Thus, we're back playing safety.

Safeish! Shaun flows home a starter to right corner, then breaks the pack with the green, leaving white on baulk rail; Judd misses by fibres coming off the side, then hits the cluster second go.

I wonder if Shaun's thinking about that easy ball he missed for 3-0; if he'd sunk it and won the next, as he did, he'd probably have won the match. But he still might, because Judd's run out of position and played safe.

Judd playing well v Shaun playing well, most of the time Judd wins, and that's what's happening here. A red left sticking out, he clips it to right-middle, and picks off loose balls. A break to win f&m is big ask from here, but a decent contribution is not.

Down goes the black, and Judd completes his second consecutive heist. He's played some absolutely amazing snooker tonight - even by his standards.

Shaun his this time but leaves the red, and now the pink on the top rail is all that can save him. He lost playing well a couple of times last season - to Jack Lisowski at the UK and to Si Jahui at the Cruce - and if Judd completes the clearance, this'll go on that list. He comes the blue, to try and hold for the pink ... and he floats it down to just above the rail. This is a really difficult pot ... but he makes it look easy, and it's black for another special, special clearance. We are privileged to be living in his time.

Judd smokes down a starter and clears balls as he plots his snooker attempt ... which comes in behind pink and black. He misses, then is immediately stuck in another, Judd getting the white to stop down the table as soon as it hits the red, which is now near the top rail. And Shaun misses again! The gap is 34, the balls on the table 35! And Judd lays another snooker, green, brown and blue all protecting red in their way; any foul and Judd won't need the black ... and Shaun hits the blue, this time foul-missing! This match is running away from him.

LOOK AT THAT! Left with few options, Shaun attacks a long pot to right corner ...and absolutely cleanses it into the leather! The yellow follows, and Judd needs two snookers when he returns to the table.

Sixty-three ahead with 67 left, Shaun runs out of position so plays back to baulk. He'll be annoyed not to have finished the frame, pleased it's almost finished, feart it can be stolen.

Behind in the match for the first time, Shaun - who generously tapped his chair at the end of Judd's clearance - responds in the spirit of the match, sinking pots at quite a rate and easing in a very nasty black from the side cushion. He's looking good to make this a best of three.

"That wasn't a snooker shot, it was an occasion," says Angles of that shot Judd played, and he burns in a starter ... then misses a much easier green! This absolute game!

Judd is a ridiculous, audacious, luminous genius.

"No! No!" purrs Angles, as Judd pots the yellow into its own pocket, the ball speeds up then comes off two cushions, through a tiny gap between brown and blue, to develop the red on the other side! That is an unbelievable shot; not one you see and think nah he'll never make that, rather one you just don't see. "The greatest positional shot ever" reckons Phil Yates, and now it's just pink and black needed for the frame.

Have a look! Judd finds a cross-double to get away, but there are still two railed reds he'll need, both on the side ... and as I type, he nudges one off the black and in front of the pocket! That's a gorgeous shot!

Oh Shaun! He misses the green ... then misses a red, by miles, but gets lucky to not only leave nowt but knock a couple of balls safe.

Until he runs out of position and plays safe; Judd then has the white pull-up a fraction from the yellow bag, making it almost impossible for Shaun to cover everything, and he can't. Judd, though, soon misses a brown he shouldn't, and this is a great chance for the Magician to hit the front again.

A nice brown brings Shaun up the table off a cushion, he gets a nice cannon - for which he played - and he's in decent shape here.

Shaun's potting has been excellent - this afternoon and tonight - and he rockets a sensational starter into left corner and has plenty of balls available. He should make a dent in this frame here - at least.

It's Shaun who's played the better stuff, but Judd is one of the great competitors, and he'll feel that given he's got level at 80%, if he ups it he can't lose.

Nope. Shaun overruns so tries sending the black to the green but it's never in. He knew it was frame over if he missed, and that's what's going to be.

Judd takes one on to left corner and misses; you think he's not left it, but Shaun snicks in behind it to jab it along the bottom cushion and in! It'll be tough picking a route through these balls, but all of them are pottable, and if he could steal this, it'd sting.

Angles is purring as Judd plays blue and rolls into the pack, but he soon winds up running out of position, nuzzling the yellow; Shaun plays another fine escape. He'd've taken this when he missed that last pot.

It's Judd in first, but the packs kills his power and he's left with nothing but a double. He thinks about it, plays it ... and misses, then has a quick shifty and sees that Shaun can get through to it ... but he misses too! I didn't think that'd happen, and do think it'll cost him.

Judd pots all the snooker balls. This is great stuff.

Judd fids a plant, snaps it down, and nuzzles in behind the brown; Shaun's escape is brilliant, landing on a red at the other end of the table. A couple of shots later, Judd hammers towards right corner, misses by aeons ... and the ball whizzes down the other end and drops in the green bag! That might settle this frame, because the table is a friendly one.

Shaun slams into the pack off the black, but winds up on nowt. Disappointed, he plays to the bottom rail.

Both players know Judd is good enough to come back at take this; he takes his first step with a red to left-middle ... then misses the green! Chance for Shaun, who by potting the black, should clear a path for it to both corners ... and does. If he could get to 4-1, he'd be very hard to stop.

That was a great mini-sesh, and Shaun deserves his two-frame interval lead - but will know it's easily snatched from him. I'll see you again in 15.

Well. Judd miscues, leaves a nice cut to left-middle, and that will surely be the frame to Shaun.

Ooh yeah! Cueing towards right corner, Shaun sends one spinning to the green bag, but the last red is on black cush and he's no angle to get onto it off either pink or black. So he rolls the former to the middle then tries a snooker, a ball at either end, colours on their spots, but he misses. The chase is on.

Shaun, though, soon gets away again, and he'll fancy himself to snaffle this - despite two reds on black cush. He'll be extra focused too, because of what happened last frame, but what happened last frame will also be on his mind. But what's this? A pink eats knuckle ... and somehow drops!

One miss, and now look. It's true that the way Judd's playing, Shaun was never going to shut him out, but 3-0 in a best of 11 would've meant a long way back. As I type, though, Judd lands in the cluster so that's end of break and a safety.

Judd trumps in a starter to left corner but misses his snooker behind the green. But then what a mistake from Shaun! He takes on a difficult red to left corner - he's not refusing anything - doesn't get close, and leaves a dolly. The black isn't currently accessible, though, so making something significant from here won't be easy, but as I type, Judd bridges awkwardly and kisses an acute one to right-corner. He didn't need to take that on, which tells us he fancies this.

The balls were there but he still had to pot them and he did - with apparent ease. Great stuff and this could be a great match - both players are bang at it.

Judd has a gigantic problem. Shaun breaks the pack, the frame at his mercy ... and he undercuts a dolly to left corner! THIS GAME! If he loses here, we'll look back at that, because this should have been 3-0, but given the balls and the man potting them, it's going to be 2-1 instead.

Shaun is flying! He splatters a plant into left corner and then works his way back up the table, away again with the black available to both corners. When he's good, he's sensational, and if he converts this to 3-0, Judd will have a big problem.

A miss he's not expecting costs him a second century, but he'd've took this. Currently, he's disproving his own rationale.

Shaun secures the frame and sends a message: you miss, I hit.

Yeah, it isn't easy. He soon runs out of position and plays safe, then misses one he probably shouldn't and Judd monsters a starter to left corner. But then my daughter runs in and he misses one I don't see, leaving Shaun another chance, the balls far more accessible than once they were. This is a chance for 2-0, and that's the thing with him: he's one of few players good enough to properly punish the few errors Judd makes.

Shaun misses to left corner but then gets another go, tickling a cut-back into the same bag. You can tell people banging on about Judd isn't what he wants to hear, he wants to hear them banging on about him, and he's doing his best to make them. But the table isn't that nicely spread, so manufacturing a telling contribution won't be easy.

No total clearance, but another century break, and Shaun storms into the lead.

Ton incoming; can he parlay it into a total clearance?

Shaun's relishing this, but when he digs into the pack off the black, he's a difficult pot to keep the run going; well difficult for some. He absolutely creams one all the way to the yellow bag, the next red is frame-ball, and what a start this is!

Oh yes! Judd's break isn't the worst but Shaun began this afternoon with a lovely long pot and the one which kicks-off this evening is even better, from near to the bottom rail all the way up the table. Lots of the tour are wary of Trump; Shaun is not, and he's quickly into stride, knocking in red-blacks.

He thinks, to play his best, he needs to be No 1 and have the other players gunning for him, and he's thinking more about the worlds than before. He thinks in the shorter matches, he's winning the crucial frames but in Sheffield he's losing them and that's the difference between having one not three.

Judd Trump (3) v Shaun Murphy (6)

What else is to say?

Everyone's desperate to get through, he says, and he's really happy. The end of the third frame was a turning point, and he was playing without his contact lenses as he scraped an eye putting one in, but his prescription is low so he had to squint a few times but he was fine. It's not coming as easily to him as it was at the end of last season and he feels like the standard improves every year, but "persistence is key" - you have to ride the peaks and troughs. On Judd, he says tonight's opponent might be in the form of his life and he's a player the other players like to watch - but this evening, hopefully not too much.

He meets Judd later tonight - tasty! both of them look on the cusp of their best form too, so we should be in for a thriller. As for Gary, he played really poorly today, perhaps daunted by his competition debut, and that'll hurt. But he's still really good, he just needs to find a way of shutting out the noise.

Could. He undercuts a tight one to right-middle - but doesn't leave it - so here comes a safety exchange, Gary breaking the balls up to try and give himself a better chance of potting them and make him being left them more likely. I think there are pots on, though, and again Shaun knucks a beauty into left corner. Gazzler's only salvation is that his attempted attacking safety didn't work well, meaning reds are mainly near rails - but I'd still expect this to be curtains.

My system crashes and returns in time for me to Shaun in, but then runs out of position, spends ages considering his safety, then plays a poor one that leaves Gary a go at a mid-distancer to right corner; he gets close, but you just didn't fancy him and I'll bet he didn't fancy himself either. Shaun could finish this at this visit.

A 107 and that's another one to Shaun!

Yup, Shaun eliminates balls in typical flowing style. A few moments ago, Phil Yates said he wasn't playing that well, but you can se he's not far off.

"An important visit," says Stephen, but Gary isn't at it today and he misses immediately afterwards, having opened the reds. So now, as Shaun digs into them, he's sat on his seat shaking his head - because he knows this is almost certainly 3-1.

Shaun wobbles a red in the jaws but Gary can't capitalise - "not timing the power shots," says Stephen, when he misses a pot. But trying to force one of his own, Shaun fouls, handing over another opportunity - though the reds will need addressing, close together but not close enough to split nicely.

It takes a small wobble in the jaws, but that's a really really good pot, under proper pressure, and I fear that may hurt Gary, who had various chances to make the frame his.

Oh Gary! He misses the brown - he's not loving pressure here - and Shaun clears to pink ... but leaves himself a nasty straight black, parallel with the rail...

Shaun misses four times, then when he hits he leaves a pot, but Gary can't get onto the final red, which looks likely to decide this frame. So he tries a safety, leaving a long one and, in comms, Stephen says there aren't many in history of the game he'd back more heavily to drain this than Shaun. And his man doesn't let him down, stroking home a beauty, and this should be 2-1. But a poor positional shot means he's to take the green with the rest - and we all know how good he is in that aspect ... but he overcuts it! But Gary drills it down ... with no apparent thought for position! The frame remains in the balance!

Now Gary misjudges a cannon and he chases position for a couple of shots then runs out of it, so plays safe and flukes a snooker behind the black. It might just win him the frame, because Shaun not only has to hit, which he should manage, but needs to get white safe.

Shaun plays a cannon that puts undue pressure on a black - he's now high on it, when he could just have been in normal position with reds still to pot. He misses, and Gary could really boot his solar plexus in with a clearance here.

It's Shaun in at the start of frame three and you can see he really fancies this. A pot with the rest is followed by an expert's steer to left corner, there are plenty loose balls about, and he should rack up a useful lead here - at the least.

That run of 58 sorts things for Gary, who really needed to win the frame. He did.

Gary runs out of position on 58, fouls, and Shaun returns to the table with green to black on it, two snookers required.

Good work from Gary, who looks much more settled now. He's not a regular in this company - though he has the ability to be - but this run will help remind him that he belongs.

Gary gets in but jawses a blue to right corner, so Shaun pounces only to botch a nasty cut-back - after missing a cannon - that leaves a chance; he missed that by miles. No excuse for Gary not to finish the frame from here, says Stephen.

Yup, Shaun sees it away, and on the evidence of that frame, he's in nick and Gary is not.

Oh! Shaun slots a gorgeous cut-back red ... only to miss the blue to right corner. He's surprised by this development, but when Gary powers down the blue, left over the pocket, he winds up on nowt and his safety is poor too, allowing Shaun to get back under way with a pot steered really carefully to right corner. This will be the frame.

Gary qualified for this by winning the Scottish Open, Shaun thanks to the Players', and he's the one in first left a red and going after it from there. He looks in terrific touch, striking the ball as sweetly as ever.

On we go!

Shaun Murphy (6) v Gary Wilson

He feels close to his best and says that every time he gets in he's going to "score heavy"; that if it gets close, he's always got another gear. It's such a nice feeling when you win, on and off the table, so he can't have anyone saying winning one or two majors is better than winning six other titles - I doubt he really thinks that, though he thinks he does - and there's no better feeling than going home at the end of the week with no one having beaten you.

Judd cruises into the group final. I fear Baipat will feel she didn't do herself justice - she didn't - but hopefully she'll be better and wiser for the experience.

Yup, Judd makes the match safe, and again, there's a ton out there for him.

Finding himself running tinto the pack, it looks like end of break, but Judd slides an expert's pink into left-middle, the angle dead acute, and this looks a lot like curtains.

Baipat just can't get anything going and when she misses a red to the green, Judd sticks it away and works his way up the table. It'll take some work to finish the match from here, but I'd not be surprised to see it happen.

left one to left-middle, Baipat sends it down and the way the balls are, this is an opportunity for her to score...

Nope, Judd misses a blue to middle so has to settle for a mere 3-0 lead. Pathetic.

Judd removes the reds near the top cushion and if he can deal with the clustered ones, there's a ton out there for him.

A tactical start to the frame, the Judd sends one long to the yellow, adds a black, and begins picking. There are six reds on rails and the black is too, so this won't be an easy break, and shonuff a miss soon hands Baipat a red to go at down the side rail; she dispatches it nicely ... but undercuts the pink and again, I fear Judd's reprisal will be swift and painful.

Judd is in total control. He's not playing that well, but Baipat isn't playing well enough to capitalise on any errors.

Again, no! Judd misses ... but then so does Baipat, a cut-back black to left corner. I'm not making any bold claims, but this is 2-0.

Or not! Too focused on position, Judd misses blue to left-middle and Baipat has plenty at which she can go. But playing a red to left corner at power, she misses the pot by a way, scatters balls all over, and sends the pink into the side. That will surely cost her the frame.

Oh man! Baipat leaves a long tempter off the break and Judd creams it right into the heart of right corner. So far this season, he's won the English, Wuhan and Northern Ireland Opens, not bad - he said before this match that he fancies winning every tournament so he ends up playing them all, but if he does keep it up he'll want some time off before the Worlds to get focused. Baipat is, I'm afraid, in a lot of trouble.

Baipat had chances, but she missed them and you can't do that against Judd, especially when he's playing as he is.

Yup, Judd secures the frame, and he's in such great form at the moment - he's made 43 tons having made 45 in the entirety of last season; if he keeps at it, Neil Robertson's record of 103 in a year will be under threat.

Not for long. Baipat slots a nice starter, then sticks a decent blue to the yellow. But when she misses a thin cut to left-middle, she leaves the world, and this could well mean the frame.

Judd runs out of position so plays safe, the Baipat misses to left corner only to underhit his attempted snooker. This is getting scrappy.

Baipat, who qualified for this competition by winning the women's World Championship, sinks a red following the break, but misses a blue; no matter, because Judd - who reaches her back in princely form - misses his starter. So Baipat gets back to work but finding the black's route to the pocket blocked by a red, she plays safe ... and sends the latter down. So Judd strikes home a tremendous ball to left corner; let's see if he can fashion a chance.

John Higgins thrashed Ding Junhui 6-1. He'll meet Mark Allen in the semis, while today's winner will face Barry Hawkins.

Judd Trump (3) v Baipat Siripaporn

Shaun Murphy (6) v Gary Wilson

That's over best of seven then, this evening, the two winners meet over best of 11. Let's do it.

And welcome to the Champion of Champions 2023 - day four!

- - -

Stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com