Shaun Murphy tips Si Jiahui to become China's first world snooker champion as Crucible form guide is ripped to shreds

Si Jiahui is destined to become China's first world snooker champion, according to 2005 Crucible winner Shaun Murphy. World No. 4 Murphy lost 10-9 to the attacking 20-year-old talent in a major upset in the first round of the World Championship on Thursday night as Si proved that form counts for little at the sport's biggest tournament.

Ad Murphy was also edged out 6-5 by Si in the first round of the 2021 UK Championship when the world No. 80 was an amateur. He was later forced to apologise after saying amateurs should not be competing on the main professional circuit.

World ChampionshipSi beats Murphy in final-frame thriller, Allen leads Bingham12 HOURS AGO The 11-time ranking event winner has revised his analysis just over a year later after levelling the Crucible encounter at 9-9 from 9-6 behind only to lose a tense decider with Si contributing a telling 56 in the final frame. «He was fabulous from start to finish. I think he will be the first Chinese World Champion – maybe not this time, but I believe he will be the first,» said Murphy, who compiled breaks of 131, 120, 102, 92, 72 and 66 in defeat.

«I see things in him that some of the other players don’t have. He’s got a bit of swagger, he’s very talented, plays right and left handed, gets on with it and always tries to attack. »I threw everything at him, I tried my absolute best and I still lost." While Si progresses to a last-16 meeting with Welsh Open champion Robert Milkins, Murphy is the latest pre-tournament form horse to exit the game's most coveted competition at the first hurdle.