Murphy beats Ding in decider to reach quarter-finals

Shaun Murphy won the UK Championship in 2008

Shaun Murphy beat three-time winner Ding Junhui 6-5 in a final-frame decider to move into the quarter-finals of the UK Championship in York.

While Ding constructed a sparkling break of 129 in the opening frame, both players appeared far from their best until the closing stages of the contest.

In a see-saw affair Ding trailed 2-1 and led 3-2 before former UK winner Murphy reeled off three consecutive frames, with a superb run of 135 in the eighth frame his first break over 50 in the contest.

Ding, also the runner-up in the two previous years, responded with successive centuries to force an 11th frame but Murphy held his nerve, compiling a break of 65 on his way to victory.

He will now play world number 20 Barry Hawkins, who defeated fellow Englishman David Gilbert 6-5 in an equally hard-fought encounter.

Meanwhile, Jack Lisowski followed up his first-round victory against Mark Selby with an equally impressive 6-4 triumph against Ali Carter.

Breaks of 85, 63 and 106 helped the 33-year-old establish a 4-1 advantage before Carter reduced his arrears with a 68.

Lisowski, who is arguably the best player on the professional tour to have not won a ranking title, responded with a 97 and rounded off his win with a 52, with a late Carter fight back coming too late.

He will now play Mark Allen in the last eight after the Northern Irishman recovered from 4-2 down to beat Wu Yize 6-4.

Two half centuries had given Allen, the 2022 UK champion, a 2-0 advantage.

But 21-year-old Yize, from China - who did not pot a ball in either of those frames -then compiled breaks of 77, 117 and 79 as he reeled off four consecutive frames.

With the match seemingly slipping away Allen, the world number three, came into his own making two centuries and two half centuries to progress.

Hawkins handed reprieve

Hawkins, who has already beaten eight-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, opened up in fine style against Gilbert with a superbly crafted break of 144.

However, he was then always playing catch up with Gilbert enjoying runs of 100, 88 and 102.

But, seemingly on the verge of victory, he missed a green to the top right corner in a nervy 10th frame.

That handed Hawkins, a world and two-time Masters runner-up an unexpected reprieve to level the match for the fourth time and a missed red to the right middle pocket proved costly for Gilbert in the concluding frame.

"I thought it was a pretty decent game until Dave missed that green. He had it won there at 6-4, he threw it away really," Hawkins said.

"I just tried to hold myself together at the end there and I'm absolutely over the moon to get through. I leapt out of my seat, I couldn't believe it really. I thought I was going home."

Murphy's 'survival instinct' kicks in

While qualifiers Hawkins and Gilbert played out a high-quality encounter, the same could not be said of Murphy’s last-16 tie with Ding.

Both players were guilty of missing elementary pots, with Murphy surprisingly floundering with the rest - a piece of equipment he is renowned for excelling with.

A missed red to the top left corner was symptomatic of his struggles although his opponent was also culpable of play not in keeping with his world ranking of eight.

Both found some form in the concluding four frames, which were in complete contrast to the six that preceded them.

"When you miss balls that I missed and make those mistakes you don’t actually deserve to win," Murphy told BBC Sport.

"I felt silly with my celebration [punching the air in delight after victory] at the end, but I tried so hard. I could not have given any more.

"It was like a survival instinct kicked in at five-all."