Former champion Shaun Murphy suffered a stunning upset in the first round of the UK Championship on Tuesday, losing 6-5 to teenage amateur Si Jiahui.
The incredible game saw the 19-year-old underdog take a 5-1 lead over the former world champion and have a great chance to wrap the game up in the seventh frame after he managed to get three snookers before missing the final blue on the way to sealing the match.
That unlikely reprieve seemed to spark the Magician into gear as he pinched that frame and then made breaks of 60, 87 and 85 to go into a decider.
Murphy missed an early long red in the final frame, giving Si the chance to take a 53-9 lead, but the Magician fought back and was only nine points adrift when he potted a superb long red, leaving just one red left on the table and the match at his mercy.
However, he missed a routine blue, the teenager stepped in and wrapped up a famous win.
Si will now take on veteran Dominic Dale after the biggest win of his young career to date, which sees him pocket £6,500 in the process.
The teenage Chinese star had two years on tour before dropping off at the end of last season. He did show signs of what he could do during his stint as a pro, reaching the last 16 of the 2019 English Open with wins over Stuart Bingham and Zhou Yuelong along the way.
He reached the final of the first Q Tour event of the season at the weekend – a string of tournaments for amateur players – so clearly found form ahead of his trip to York this week.
It was the only major shock of the first day of action at the Barbican although there were some less significant upsets in the first few contests.
Ashley Hugill beat Mark Davis 6-4 and 18-year-old Wu Yize downed last year’s semi-finalist Lu Ning 6-3, but all the other big names in action came through, with wins for John Higgins, Stephen Maguire, Anthony McGill and Kyren Wilson.
UK Championship Day One First Round Results
Ashley Hugill 6-4 Mark Davis
Stephen Maguire 6-3 Sanderson Lam
Chris Wakelin 6-2 Jamie Clarke
Li Hang 6-3 Mitchell Mann
John Higgins 6-1 Michael Georgiou
Tom Ford 6-1 Andrew Pagett
Jak Jones 6-4 Oliver Lines
Mark Joyce 6-4 Andrew Higginson
Wu Yize 6-3 Lu Ning
Dominic Dale 6-4 Ashley Carty
David Grace 6-2 Peter Devlin
Zhou Yuelong 6-1 Chen Zifan
Anthony McGill 6-0 Iulian Boiko
Kyren Wilson 6-2 Soheil Vahedi
Murphy continues a slow start to the season after reaching the World Championship final at the end of the last campaign, making just one quarter-final so far amid a string of early exits.
His defeat on Tuesday night continues a dry spell in the UK Championship, winning just one match in the last four editions of the event.
MORE : High stakes at the UK Championship for lower-ranked players with careers in the balance
MORE : Judd Trump enjoys dig at doubters after thrashing John Higgins in Champion of Champions final
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Snooker News Click Here
