Defending Champion Zhao Xintong Slips to 3-5 Deficit Against Shaun Murphy at World Championship

Reigning world champion Zhao Xintong let a 3-0 lead slip as Shaun Murphy fought back to claim a 5-3 lead in the opening session of their World Championship quarter-final. Zhao, 29, has openly talked about the pressure of defending his crown and lifting the 'Crucible curse' that has followed first-time winners at the famous Sheffield venue, but began in scintillating fashion. A break of 122 suggested Zhao had picked up from where he left off against Ding Junhui in the second round, and when he pinched the second frame and made a half century in the third, he had established a healthy advantage. But Murphy, who won the title in 2005, crafted a 69 then reeled off the next four frames to turn the match on its head. The Englishman took the fifth and sixth frames on the black after capitalising on errors from his opponent and controlled the seventh. When Zhao missed the pink in a tense eighth frame, it handed Murphy a two-frame advantage heading into their second session on Tuesday evening at 19:00 BST. Over on the other side of the auditorium, Barry Hawkins shared the opening six frames of a high-quality contest with Northern Ireland's Mark Allen. However, Hawkins, who had already compiled a century break and three other half centuries, knocked in breaks of 75 and 63 to open up a deserved 5-3 scoreline in his favour. Their match also resumes at 19:00 BST on Tuesday.