Murphy Reaches Fifth Crucible Final After Beating John Higgins — Shaun Murphy Vs John Higgins
Shaun Murphy beat John Higgins to reach the World Snooker Championship final, and shaun murphy vs john higgins now sends the 2005 champion back into the title match at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. It is Murphy’s fifth Crucible final and his first step toward a second world crown since 2005.
Murphy And Higgins At Crucible
Murphy was excellent in the semi-final and finished it with the sharper scoring, cutting through Higgins to secure the place in Sunday afternoon’s final. For Murphy, the win keeps alive a run that has now produced one world title and three runner-up finishes since that 2005 triumph.
Higgins left Sheffield without a final place, while Murphy moved one round further than the field had managed to stop him. The result also tightened the shape of the championship after a semi-final that had promised a very different finish once the last two frames began to matter most.
Wu Yize Sets The Final
Wu Yize will meet Murphy in the final after edging Mark Allen 17-16 from 16-14 down. He produced 17 breaks of 50 points or more in that semi-final, and the scale of that scoring put him through even after Allen had moved to the edge of victory.
That form has already taken Wu through Mark Selby 13-11 in the last 16, and he arrived in Sheffield after winning his maiden title at the International Championship in November. He was listed as a narrow 10-11 favourite, with Murphy an even-money shot, setting up a final between a rising challenger and a former world champion.
Crucible Final On Sunday
The final was scheduled to begin on Sunday afternoon at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The 2026 World Snooker Championship was set to run from Saturday, April 18 to Monday, May 4, with every frame shown live on, TNT Sports and HBO Max.
Murphy now goes into that match with the stronger history at this venue, but Wu carries the momentum of two tight wins in the late rounds. One has the title experience. The other has the scoring pace that carried him through 17-16 and into the sport’s biggest final.
