A mammoth afternoon session between Wu Yize and Mark Allen saw the longest frame in Crucible history completed in their World Championship semi-final.
The session concluded with a bizarre 14th frame, which saw a cluster of eight reds jammed around a black on the edge of the pocket.
It resulted in a lengthy stalemate which passed without a ball being potted and included referee Marcel Eckardt asking the Crucible crowd to settle before Allen eventually fouled the black.
One hundred minutes...
— WST (@WeAreWST) May 1, 2026
The frame between Mark Allen and Wu Yize is the longest EVER at the Crucible.#WorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/LFFzDGFF8y
A gruelling frame was completed in one hour and 40 minutes as Wu battled to clinch it and level the semi-final at 7-7 overnight as the session ended two frames short.
The mammoth frame surpassed the previous record of 85 minutes and 22 seconds set in 2022 between Mark Selby and Yan Bingtao.
Six-time world champion Steve Davis was unhappy with the situation in the 14th frame on Friday afternoon.
Speaking on the BBC afterwards, Davis said: “In a nutshell, that frame is an embarrassment to snooker and the referees’ and the players’ association need to try to work out a way that never happens again.”
The draw came after Allen had trailed 6-2 overnight, but the Northern Irishman mounted an impressive comeback which included a so-far tournament-best 145 break in the 11th frame.
Friday’s evening session saw another tight tussle between John Higgins and Shaun Murphy as the Scot clinched a 13-11 lead.
The earlier contest saw four-time world champion Higgins look like he may build a lead after taking an 8-6 advantage, but Murphy held his nerve to draw level in a session where he had made only one break over 50.
That left the score at tied at 8-8 going into the evening, where little separated both players in an entertaining battle.
Murphy started the evening session with a break of 60 to clinch the opening frame, but Higgins replied with a break of 55.
Some mistakes in the following frame resulted in a close scoreline before Higgins took advantage and potted the brown, blue and pink in quick succession to take a one-frame lead.
However, Murphy responded with a commanding display to win the 20th frame, hitting a comfortable 82 break to draw level again at the mid-session interval.
WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT! 👏
— WST (@WeAreWST) May 1, 2026
Shaun Murphy becomes the fifth player to reach a century of centuries at the Crucible! 🙌#WorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/aPPjJYQP4q
After the restart, Higgins looked to have allowed Murphy back in, but the Scot’s early break of 63 underpinned the frame as he potted the pink to win.
Murphy again levelled with one visit to the table, hitting a 105 break to become the fifth player to reach 100 century breaks at the Crucible.
Higgins then took control towards the end of the session, winning back-to-back frames including a 101 break in the final one to hold a slender overnight advantage.
From abject farce to mesmerising beauty – snooker shows its contrasting faces
John Higgins v Shaun Murphy live: Latest after longest-ever World Championship frame
‘Embarrassment’: Pundits fume as Allen and Wu play longest frame in Crucible history
Threats, bets and guilty WhatsApps: Inside snooker’s Chinese match-fixing scandal
John Higgins’ secret weapon – that even snooker commentators don’t notice
World Snooker Championship 2026: Results, schedule and how to watch every match
