Zhao Xintong wows Crucible crowd in quarter-final against Shaun Murphy with shot never seen before ‘in professional snooker’ – ‘That’s a first’

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Zhao Xintong produced a moment never ”seen before” when potting three reds with one shot in his quarter-final clash against Shaun Murphy at the World Championship.

'He’s knocked it in' - Zhao sinks three reds with one shot

Video credit: TNT Sports

Defending champion Zhao began the match on Tuesday morning like a train, racing into a 3-0 lead before his form dipped and Murphy ran through five frames to secure a 5-3 advantage.

The second session later in the evening saw Zhao pick off a bitty ninth frame to steady the ship.

He got a chance again in the 10th, and took on a shot with the rest described as "a very big risk" by Dominic Dale in the TNT Sports commentary box.

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"Is he considering this red to the left corner with the rest?" asked Dale. "He can screw off the pack of reds, but he would be bringing multiple balls into play. It is a very big risk."

Zhao took on the shot knowing he would be splitting the pack and leaving a chance for his opponent should he miss.

There was no miss as he made perfect contact with his intended red, which dropped into the heart of the left corner.

What followed was a double bonus, as a second red dropped into the right corner before a third toppled into the left corner.

"He’s knocked it in," Dale said. "In fact, he’s potted three.

"Well, there you go, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before in professional snooker."

With the pack spread nicely, it was a big chance to put together a frame-winning contribution, but he broke down on 55 when missing a red with the rest to hand Murphy a chance at a counter.

Murphy picked Zhao’s pocket on a couple of occasions in the first session, and did so again, as a break of 59 saw him take the second frame of the evening.

The next two frames were shared as Murphy took a 7-5 lead into Tuesday evening's mid-session interval.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

While Dale said he had never seen three balls potted at once, Alan McManus thought he recalled Judd Trump puling it off.

"I can’t remember exactly who it was, it might have been Judd Trump," McManus said in the TNT Sports studio. "There are two plants that go in on the back of the red he does play.

"It is just a shame the red that went towards the right middle did not go in as well to complete the set."

'He is struggling'

Assessing the action at the mid-session interval on Tuesday, McManus said on TNT Sports that he felt Zhao was off the pace.

"It is quite average for him," McManus said. "We are all waiting on him sparking into life and putting together a burst of three or four frames. But, at the moment, it is looking really unlikely that that is going to happen.

”He is struggling. I think he has struggled for the most part."

Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the World Championship, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

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