Murphy makes it a Malta hat-trick to stand on brink of semis - Sport - Evening Standard
       

Murphy makes it a Malta hat-trick to stand on brink of semis

Defending champion Shaun Murphy battled to a third win in a row at snooker's Malta Cup yesterday to put himself on the verge of a semi-final place.

The Rotherham potter defeated Glaswegian Stephen Maguire 4-2 and one more victory in his final group match, against Stephen Hendry tomorrow, would guarantee a spot in the last four.

Murphy: Beat Stephen Maguire 4-2 on Wednesday

'I played well in patches but I missed a couple of chances which could have swung the match,' said Murphy.

'Really, 3-3 would have been a fair result. It's the toughest group but if I win my next match I'm definitely through. That's what I'm concentrating on.'

Seven-times world champion Hendry made it two wins out of two with a 4-2 victory over local favourite Tony Drago, with defeat for the Maltese player confirming his exit from the competition.

Graeme Dott is also out after losing 4-2 to Mark Williams yesterday.

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