Murphy clinches final spot

May 3 2009

Shaun Murphy produced a three-frame blitz of stunning snooker to halt Neil Robertson's epic comeback and secure a place in the final of the Betfred.com World Championship.

The 2005 champion had lost seven frames in a row as Robertson pulled back from 14-7 down to 14-14 but the mid-session interval came at an unfortunate time for the Australian.

He had the momentum as they left the arena but, when they returned, a reinvigorated Murphy rattled off breaks of 106, 81 and 94 to win 17-14.

It was an incredible streak from Murphy, who had been completely off his game until the interval.

He and John Higgins will play the first two sessions of what promises to be an enthralling final between two former champions on Sunday.

Robertson made the match a classic with his comeback but his hopes of becoming Australia's first World Championship finalist since the tournament moved to the Crucible in 1977 were ultimately dashed.

Murphy left the arena saluting the crowd, while Robertson pondered what might have been.