Shanghai Masters 2024 live – Mark Selby takes on Pang Junxu and Shaun Murphy faces Zhou Yuelong in quarter-finals

Shaun Murphy 3-0 Zhou Yuelong

On 80, Mark misses a black he shouldn’t, but he – and Pang – are both in decent touch, which is why we’re level after a decent set of frames. We’ll be back in 15.

A pink slotted to left-middle confirms the frame, and there’s a ton out there here.

These two are well-matched, great potters with solid safety-games, and Mark look good to level the match at the mid-sesh – he’s nowhere near out of available balls and he’s sliding balls in nicely, digging down on a black and seeing it move straight into the heart of the pocket.

Lovely starter to the middle from Mark, who needed hat – he’s barely featured in the last 20 minutes or so. But after a blue, playing the cannon off the next red he forget about the pot – how often do we see that? – and Pang then does similar, worried about where the white’s going and missing a cut-back accordingly. Selbz will be delighted just to be back at the table, but also, he’s in!

Mark dominated one, Pang two and three.

Frame secure, Pang is ton-hunting, but forced to try a double on a red … which doesn’t get close to the bag.

He’s a good player is Pang, and is in good touch too. He’s a careful potter, which isn’t to say he doesn’t take risks, that plant a prime example, just that he’s very deliberate in how he does things. It’s working well for him, his cue-ball control excellent in this run but also in general.

A slow start to the frame then Pang, near black cush, sends a lovely plant into the yellow bag and after dropping a pink to middle – just, off the knuckle – he rams home a red into right corner and is slowly but surely – and cleverly – manufacturing a chance.

Shaun Murphy 2-0 Zhou Yuelong

He doesn’t, but Mark stays in his seat.

Pang slowly accumulates, removing the last red off the side rail, and this is going to be 1-1 whether or not he drains a testing long pot.

No matter: again, his safety earns him a chance, and this time he looks good to take it. But we’ve lost the scores from our screen … ah, it’s back.

He cannot, running out of position and forced to stick white on baulk rail. That was a decent opportunity spurned.

Mark escapes but Pang continues dictating the safety duel – not many can do that against this legend – and eventually is left a starter. Can he parlay it into something significant?

Mark coaxes a lovely opener into left-middle, but a black is all that’s there for him to add, so he plays safe and Pang tries a roll-up only to hit the pink; he’s made better starts to matches. That’s a free ball but it takes Peggy, the ref, a while to concur; Selbz asks politely, she accept, and he clips down a tight cut-back pink. But he can’t quite see a way a nasty straight red to right corner so Pang takes a red and snuggles in behind rhe green.

Shaun Murphy 0-0 Zhou Yuelong

No ton, but a decent run of 83 and Mark is into the match.

Mark has a coupe of opportunities to score heavily but can’t take either; no matter. He soon gets back in, rescuing a poor positional shot with a nice cut-back pink to left corner, problem being he’ll need to break the pack soon and doesn’t really have an angle on the blue.So he takes the green instead and from here, should take the frame.

Apologies for a slight delay, but here comes Mark Selby v Pang Junxu!