Wu got off to a much better start. It took a lot of effort, but after three frames, the Chinese player was 3-0 ahead. The rising star built a strong lead in each frame, only to let Murphy back in with some mistakes.
However, despite several snooker attempts, the Magician couldn’t manage a comeback in any of those frames. Wu’s top breaks of 51 and 61 proved enough in the end.
Shaun Murphy Turns the Match Around with Big Breaks
Just before the mid-session interval, it was the Englishman’s time to shine. With remarkable ease, he clawed his way back frame by frame. Without dropping a single point, he quickly closed the gap to 3-2 with breaks of 80 and 98.
In the seventh frame, Wu had the first opportunity, but after scoring 23 points, he lost position and could only watch as Murphy took the frame with a 77 clearance.
Murphy capped off his fourth consecutive frame win with the first century break (109) of the final. But in the last frame of the session, Wu showed his class.
He seized his first chance with a tough red and put together a break of 65, which was more than enough despite Murphy’s snooker attempts. The second session between the two resumes at 20:00 CET and will feature nine frames. By the end of tonight, there will definitely be a leader.