Shaun Murphy produced a masterclass performance to defeat Neil Robertson 6-2 in the Masters quarter-final at Alexandra Palace on Thursday afternoon.
The 42-year-old Englishman dominated the match with near-perfect snooker.
He was only denied a spectacular maximum 147 break in the final frame when he accidentally snookered himself behind the blue after reaching 120 points.
The match began evenly, with Murphy taking the opener with a break of 90 before Robertson responded with a 79 to level at 1-1.
Shaun Murphy was gutted after missing out on hitting a maximum
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Murphy then took control of the contest, reeling off three consecutive frames to establish a commanding 4-1 lead.
A crucial moment came in the fifth frame when Robertson made a break of 66, only for Murphy to respond with a clearance of the same size to steal the frame by a single point.
Robertson showed his resilience by crafting a superb 108 break in the sixth frame to reduce the deficit to 4-2.
Murphy remained unfazed, responding with a clinical break of 82 in the seventh frame to move within one frame of victory at 5-2.
In what proved to be the final frame, Murphy looked set to cap his victory in spectacular fashion, potting 15 reds and 15 blacks with precision.
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The break reached 120 points before an unfortunate error saw Murphy snooker himself behind the blue with only the colours remaining, ending his hopes of a maximum break.
Speaking after the match, Murphy reflected on his missed maximum opportunity: “I said that one of my targets for the season was to make a max in one of the Triple Crown events.
“It would have been a great present because it’s my mum’s birthday today!”
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Shaun Murphy thrashed Neil Robertson to put him into the semi-final of the Masters
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The 2015 champion was delighted with his overall display, adding: “That was somewhere near my best. I’m really pleased.”
Murphy will now face either Mark Allen or Mark Selby in Saturday’s semi-final at Alexandra Palace.
The victory puts Murphy, who won the Masters in 2015, just two matches away from claiming another Triple Crown title.
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