Four Quarters, One Goal

Shaun Murphy 13-3 Xiao Guodong: Murphy dismantled his opponent in ruthless fashion, compiling four centuries—including 103, 115, 103, and a blistering 140—to mark his most dominant win at the venue. This clinical display highlighted Murphy's trademark cue ball control and potting fluency, leaving Xiao with scant opportunities.

Mark Allen 13-9 Kyren Wilson: Allen trailed 5-6 after the first session but mounted a compelling fightback, featuring a stunning 140 total clearance and consistent 50+ breaks. The Northern Irishman's match-winning composure in the latter stages overcame Wilson's early aggression, blending power with precision in a high-scoring, entertaining duel.

Barry Hawkins 13-9 Mark Williams: A cagey opener sat at 4-4, but Hawkins seized control with a magnificent 127 in session two, with outstanding safety to frustrate Williams. Hawkins really looks on solid form in a tournament he often produces his best at.

Zhao Xintong 13-9 Ding Junhui: In an all-Chinese heavyweight clash, Zhao withstood mounting pressure as the defending champion with three centuries amid tense safety battles. Ding's mid-match surge tested Zhao's resolve, but Zhao's quality edged this one.

John Higgins 13-12 Ronnie O'Sullivan: Down 4-9 and staring at elimination, Higgins orchestrated an historic turnaround with a barrage of centuries after O'Sullivan's sublime snooker in the opening session. The Scot's unflappable nerve in their seventh Crucible meeting edged O'Sullivan's brilliance in an encounter that will live long in the memory.

Wu Yize 13-10 Mark Selby: A defensive slog saw Wu neutralize Selby's usually rock solid safety with outstanding long potting and impressive patience, grinding out frames in low-scoring exchanges. Selby's rhythm faltered, allowing the young Chinese to advance through resilience over flair.

Hossein Vafaei 13-12 Judd Trump: The lone surviving qualifier, few thought that Vafaei would challenge the World number one in this one, but Vafaei seems to have found a belief to match his ability.  Trump couldn't shake Vafaei and it seemed inevitable that this was going all the way. A positional mistake in the decider by Trump let Vafaei in to cause a real upset.

Neil Robertson 13-7 Chris Wakelin: Robertson seems to really have his best game at the Crucible this year, and progressed comfortably with a dominant display in the final session, knocking in two centuries and three 50+ breaks. Wakelin just couldn't live with Robertson on this form.

Mark Allen vs Barry Hawkins: This is a fascinating encounter with both players seemingly bringing their best form to this years championship. We see this going close Allen edging a tight encounter 13-11, advancing him to semis.

Zhao Xintong vs Shaun Murphy: Murphy's demolition of Guodong with four tons shows he really is on top form, but has he peaked too soon?   Zhao seems to be building his form, and we know he has more levels to go through. This should be an exhibition of attacking snooker and we can't wait for it. Could go either way but we see Zhao progressing 13-9.

John Higgins vs Neil Robertson: Higgins had to dig really deep to defeat O'Sullivan, and in Robertson he come up against a player in form and fresh. One thing we know about Higgins is that he always gives everything and we can't help but think this could be another match that goes all the way. It may leave the tank empty, but we're tipping Higgins to edge another tense match 13-12.

Wu Yize vs Hossein Vafaei: There's not doubt that Wu Yize is a precocious talent and at just 22 years of age, he has an incredible career ahead of him. Vafaei wouldn't normally get our nod but his determination and composure in defeating Trump makes us think that he's not done yet in this years tournament. We might have got this very wrong, but we're tipping Vafaei to continue the fairytale with a 13-11 victory.