The world's best player will face one of its most promising in the final of the Players Championship, after Yan Bingtao thumped Shaun Murphy 6-1.
Taking revenge for an after-midnight defeat to the same player at the same stage of the Welsh Open two weeks ago, Yan produced a measured display to take his revenge and earn a crack at favourite Judd Trump.
Murphy was uncharacteristically off-colour, missing several key opportunities and winning only one frame - a scrappy fourth, after which he bowed ironically to the audience. But this was about a young Chinese star who appears to boast all the talent of any of his counterparts, with none of the impetuosity.
Yan said: “I kept telling myself not to think about the scoreline at 5-1. I tried to play like the match had just started. I did it shot by shot and avoided being too conservative.
“I just tried to keep calm no matter what happened or however much I was feeling the pressure. I kept my rhythm and although I felt excited during the match, it was solid.
“It is scary playing Judd Trump, similar to how players might fear Ronnie O’Sullivan. I never play well against him, but I’m happy with being part of the final so just want to enjoy it.”
The first stanza of this Southport semi-final set the tone for the match.
Yan was 2-0 up after a fluent 104 break, but the third frame ought to have gone to Murphy, who was closing in on the finish line before carelessly missing a blue which would effectively have seen him over it.
Yan aggressively took charge of the frame from there, twice potting brazen doubles before willingly drawing stumps and engaging in the sort of safety exchange he's perfectly comfortable in.
Murphy blinked first, leaving his opponent with an easy yellow, and the youngster gobbled up the opportunity to move into a 3-0 lead which only became 3-1 after some surprising misses from both parties in the fourth.
Unperturbed, Yan moved into a 4-1 lead after the resumption and then registered his second century of the match, which took him to within a frame of the final. A scrappy seventh frame again played into his hands and he completed a resounding victory.
Murphy said: “I just had a bad night. I thought he played quite well. He had a bit of a wobble in the fourth frame, but other than that I thought he was very solid. I can only pay him credit and pay tribute to him.
“Not a lot of people are aware that after he lost to me in the semi-finals of the Welsh Open, he practised all day during the final. He practised all day after I beat him at the World Championship a couple of years ago as well. You have a lad there who is completely dedicated to the game and hungry for success.”
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