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China Open LIVE - Saengkham takes on Murphy and Yuelong battles Gilbert for semi-final spot
Live comments, updates, results and streaming as Noppon Saengkham faces Shaun Murphy for a place in the semi-finals of the China Open before Mark Selby takes on Neil Robertson
By Matt Jones | Updated 14/08/2026 at 10:05 GMT+1
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10:02
10:02
Murphy 3-5 Saengkham (*25-0)
Saengkham makes an error that opens the door for his opponent once more, though.
This time an ambitious attempted pot that does not find the pocket.
Murphy comes back to a healthier looking table and quickly amasses a break of 13.
He needs to go into the pack off his next colour, but is too straight on the blue.
Brown is the ball of choice, and he just about develops a red with a little flick.
10:00
10:00
Murphy 3-5 Saengkham (8-0)
So; time is running out for Murphy in this match, but he finds a good long red to get frame nine underway.
He adds green, red, green, deftly going into the pack off the latter, but he cannot force anything out into the open, so plays safe
Around the tables
Yuelong 1-4 Gilbert
09:55
09:55
Murphy 3-5 Saengkham (58-60)
A beautiful pot on the yellow, which is on the baulk cushion, gains Saengkham perfect position.
Green and brown follow, then a straight forward blue.
He gains position on the pink with a nice enough angle to get on the black. Both balls go down. Saengkham steals the frame and moves to within one of victory!
09:53
09:53
Murphy 3-4 Saengkham (58-33*)
In escaping from the snooker, Saengkham leaves a tricky pot down the cushion to the left corner.
Murphy attempts the pot, but catches the jaw and stands it up for the Thai to clean away.
This could be a huge switch in the flow of this match, because the black is added, and now it's down to the colours.
09:52
09:52
Murphy 3-4 Saengkham (58-25)
Two reds remain and a good safety from Murphy forces a mistake from Saengkham, who pushes one of them too close to the green pocket.
The Magician tidies it away, but a kiss on the brown means he cannot get towards the other.
Instead, Murphy plays a snooker behind the yellow. This is a horrible one to escape from.
Saengkham misses first time, but hits with the second attempt.
09:46
09:46
Murphy 3-4 Saengkham (53-25)
The red that Murphy missed is available for Saengkham to send into the left corner.
He adds the blue and tries to develop the two remaining reds, which are tight on the left cushion, but the contact is too deft.
09:44
09:44
Murphy 3-4 Saengkham (53-19)
He takes the first two and crucially frees up the black, but then misses the third, along the top cushion.
09:43
09:43
Murphy 3-4 Saengkham (*37-19)
And Murphy picks off a long red to the left corner to get going.
The blue follows, because, as with Saengkham, the pink and black are still unavailable.
He eventually frees up the former, and that makes scoring much, much easier.
This is a big chance for the Magician. He quickly puts up a break of 33 as we go down to the final five reds.
09:39
09:39
Murphy 3-4 Saengkham (4-19)
The fact the pink and black are not available means the cue ball is having to do a lot of work, including going in and out of baulk off the yellow.
Things fall down off his next shot though, a kick off a red, leaving the white bouncing on the table.
It hits the pink and then rolls into the left middle.
A bit of a reprieve for Murphy, perhaps?
09:38
09:38
Murphy 3-4 Saengkham (0-17*)
Time is running out for Murphy in this match; even more so if the momentum continues to go again him.
Which it is doing at the start of frame eight.
Saengkham picks out a shot-to-nothing that goes into the right corner, followed by the blue.
"Shaun looks a bit shellshocked," says McManus, as the Thai continues on his merry way.
A split on the pack goes his way too, in terms of spreading the reds. He just needs to gain position and free up the big scoring colours, as the pink and black are tied up.
09:32
09:32
Around the tables
Zuelong 1-3 Gilbert
09:31
09:31
Murphy 3-4 Saengkham (8-82)
And a visit of 15 puts things well out of reach for Murphy.
Saengkham is two frames away from a place in the semi-finals.
09:30
09:30
Murphy 3-3 Saengkham (8-75*)
Murphy takes red and black, then misses his next pot by a long distance.
A couple of shots later and it's frame over, too. A poor safety leaves Saengkham with a shot to the right middle, which he strokes hom.
The black is extra insurance.
09:28
09:28
Murphy 3-3 Saengkham (0-67)
This is now Saengkham's best break since his 81 in the opening frame.
However, an attempt to go in and out of baulk goes slightly wrong when he catches the brown.
The recovery is a long pot to the left corner, and he sends it right into the heart of the pocket.
The black means Murphy can now only tie, but he will return to the table, beacyse Saengkham misses a long red up to the green pocket.
67 behind, 67 left.
09:24
09:24
Murphy 3-3 Saengkham (0-47*)
This is turning into a really handy visit from Saengkham. His potting is always strong, but his cue ball control has been just as impressive.
39 added off his first five reds, with a delightful kiss off one helping him to keep going and bring position on the black.
09:22
09:22
Murphy 3-3 Saengkham (0-19*)
Murphy will be looking to keep that momentum going, but a slow safety sees the ball drift slightly off the line he intended and leaves a red over the left corner.
Saengkham sinks that, then the pink, which he makes to look a lot easier than it is.
The slight problem is that the pink no long goes on its spot, so the blue will be coming into some heavy use from now.
09:15
09:15
Around the tables
Yuelong 1-3 Gilbert
09:14
09:14
Murphy 3-3 Saengkham (76-59)
That red is the one on the side cushion. He pots it brilliantly and screws back for the blue.
Now for the colours. He needs them all, bar the black, and duly delivers. A really good break of 50 to level up at 3-3.
09:12
09:12
Murphy 2-3 Saengkham (*43-59)
Saengkham takes one red, plus a black, and once more tries to swing the cue ball around the angles, only to catch the brown.
Four reds left, two on the side cushion. He's in the box seat, but the next shot is a thinker.
He didn't perhaps think about it correctly, though. A pot along the top cushion for Murphy goes in, and he moves one of the reds on the side cushion in the process.
Brown added. Then red, green, red, black to move to within 16 with one red left.