Shaun Murphy hits top form to knock world champion Zhao out at Crucible

• British player wins 13-10 in gripping quarter-final

• World No 4 latest to succumb to ‘curse of the Crucible’

Defending champion Zhao Xintong was knocked out of the world snooker championship on Wednesday following a 13-10 quarter-final defeat by Shaun Murphy.

Zhao, 29, was the first Chinese player to be crowned world champion when he beat three-time winner Mark Williams 18-12 in last year’s final.