2024 Shanghai Masters snooker: Mark Selby to play Shaun Murphy in semi-finals

World number seven Murphy was the first player through to the last four after he saw off Zhou Yuelong 6-2.

• 2024 Shanghai Masters: Draw, results, schedule, format, prize money, how to watch

'The Magician' established a 3-0 lead with the aid of breaks of 57 and 70, although Zhou opened his account with an effort of 104 in frame four.

Following the mid-session interval, Zhou looked like reducing the gap to just one but he didn't get position whilst on a break of 65. Later in the frame, Murphy got in and crafted a 66 clearance to pinch it by one point on the final black.

Murphy reached the hill by depositing frame six (61 break) and although Zhou prolonged the tie with the next (82 break), a wonderfully constructed 69 in frame eight navigated Murphy through.

On the main table, Selby kept his hopes alive of a second Shanghai Masters crown as he ended the campaign of Pang Junxu, 6-3.

There was good scoring throughout the encounter in what was a rerun of the WST Classic final from last year. Both players led during the first mini-session before going into the break locked at 2-2; Selby made breaks of 83 and 80, Pang, 62 and 91.

On resumption, Pang went 3-2 up but four-time world champion Selby strung together the next four frames along with runs of 75, 60, 81 and 118 as he advanced to the last four of this competition for the eighth time in his career.

Friday's meeting between Murphy and Selby at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium will be the best of 19 frames across two sessions.