Murphy edges Trump in decider to book English Open semi-final spot

Shaun Murphy came through a tense decider against Judd Trump to reach the semi-finals of the English Open, continuing his strong run in the tournament.

The world number seven had moved ahead 5-4 before Trump, ranked third in the world, fired in a break of 112 to force the match into a final frame. Murphy held his nerve in the decider, relying on sharp safety play to see off his fellow Englishman and secure his place in the last four.

Semi-final line-up takes shape

Murphy will next face Welshman Mark Williams, who saw off compatriot Liam Davies 6-3. The pair were tied at 2-2 at the mid-session interval, but Williams pulled away afterwards and rounded off the win with a break of 112.

Elsewhere, China's Ding Junhui eased to a 6-2 win over England's Kyren Wilson. Wilson failed to score in the opening three frames and briefly rallied by taking the next two to close the gap to 3-2, but Ding reasserted control and closed out the match by winning the final three frames.

Ding's semi-final opponent will be Ali Carter, who came from behind to beat Zhou Yuelong 6-5. Zhou had led 5-3, but Carter won three frames in a row to complete the turnaround, capitalising on a missed yellow from Zhou before winning a frame 80-39 and then dominating the decider.

Both semi-finals are scheduled for Saturday, with Ding facing Carter at 12:00 BST, followed by the Murphy-Williams clash at 18:00.