Shaun Murphy set a new snooker record at the China Open on day two, compiling 607 unanswered points in a 6-0 win over Matthew Selt.
The former world champion went beyond Ronnie O'Sullivan's previous mark of 556, which had stood since the 2014 Masters, and did it in style with breaks of 18, 61, 132, 103, 139, 113 and 41. The run included four consecutive centuries and left Murphy with a place in the record books after a one-sided opening-round performance.
Murphy said he could not believe it and was over the moon after the match. He added that he knew he was close to the record and chose not to check the numbers at the interval, preferring to stay in the flow once he had found it. He also described it as a delight to play in front of a strong crowd and put on a good show.
A record in a changing snooker landscape
The timing makes the feat even more notable. The China Open is the first main ranking tournament of the 2026-27 season and has returned to the World Snooker Tour calendar for the first time since 2019. This year's event is being held in Taiyuan, about 310 miles (500km) south west of Beijing.
Murphy's win also comes during a busy run of form and storylines for several of snooker's biggest names. Earlier in May, he lost 18-17 to Wu Yize in the World Championship final, and at the end of July he was beaten in a deciding frame by Wu Yize again in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters. Last week, Judd Trump beat Kyren Wilson in the final of the invitational Shanghai Masters, while on day two of the China Open, O'Sullivan recovered from 2-0 down to beat Jackson Page 6-2 and Judd Trump lost 6-3 to Noppon Saengkham.
Murphy said records are meant to be broken, and this one may eventually fall too. For now, though, he has set a new standard for unanswered points in ranking competition and turned a routine-looking opening match into a small piece of snooker history.
