BBC Sport snooker

World Snooker Championship
Date: 18 April-4 May Venue: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Coverage: Live coverage each day on BBC Two, BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website (UK only), updates on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Murphy says he is capable of winning the tournament

Former champion Shaun Murphy shrugged off his off-table issues to seal a crushing 13-3 second-round win over Marco Fu at The Crucible.

Murphy, who resumed with the luxury of a 7-1 lead, was in complete control against an outgunned Fu, and sealed victory with a session to spare.

Fu started superbly with a 129 break, but Murphy replied with a century of his own to reassert his authority.

And it was almost one-way traffic from then on, as Murphy sealed victory.

Murphy is having to contend with the prospect of his wife serving divorce papers during the tournament, while some sections of the crowd have taken to booing him.

But the 26-year-old seemed fully focused on his snooker as he swept into the quarter-finals, where he will face seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry, with ease.

Fu, a Crucible semi-finalist in 2006, never got going and seemed resigned to defeat as Murphy cruised over the horizon with something to spare.

I can play well enough to win this tournament for definite Shaun Murphy

"I'm hitting the ball very well and I knew coming into the tournament that I'd put the work in and practised hard," said Murphy.

"I knew it was in there but I played so poorly in the first round but I feel a little bit better now and my game was a little bit better.

"I've just started to feel human again and every day I've felt a little bit better. I'm still not 100%, I'm probably 70% or 80% at the moment. So I'll take advantage of my night off and a couple of days off before the quarter-final and all being equal I should be somewhere near well for the quarter-finals."

And Murphy said he had the capacity to add a second world title to the one he won in 2005.

"I can play well enough to win this tournament for definite," he said.

"I'll have to improve to win but when I came into the tournament it was said there was only two players who could win it and one of them (Ronnie O'Sullivan) has gone home so I'm just happy to be here."

Wales' Ryan Day wasted no time as he sealed a comprehensive 13-5 win over veteran Nigel Bond to set up a quarter-final meeting with Northern Ireland's Mark Allen.

Day had done the hard work in the opening two sessions, opening up a commanding 11-5 lead to leave himself on the brink of victory.

And he quickly rattled off the two frames he needed to get over the winning line and reach the last eight for the second year in a row.

"I was asked questions about Ronnie the other day but I thought Mark would give him more than a game and that's the way it proved so it will be a tricky game for me in the next round," said Day.

"He looks as if he was in good form in his match against Ronnie. He seemed to play well in every department and took his chances when they came along. I imagine it will be a tough match.

"When you get to the quarter-finals in this tournament in terms of sessions you are only halfway through, but it's one I desperately want to win. I will go out and try to be relaxed and play the balls."

Two-time former champion John Higgins was level at 4-4 with Jamie Cope at the end of Saturday's evening session.

Higgins began confidently but lost his way as Cope fought back for parity.

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