World champion Shaun Murphy produced a spirited fightback against Dubliner Ken Doherty to earn a quarter-final showdown at the Saga Insurance Masters.
On the day when Jimmy White made his last appearance at the Wembley Conference Centre after a 6-3 defeat today against John Higgins, Murphy trailed 5-3 to his opponent only to sink some sensational pots to snatch a 6-5 victory.
Murphy looked as if he was going to bow out at the first hurdle, but held his nerve to earn a last-eight showdown with Grand Prix champion Higgins.
"I went for a couple of shots that I shouldn't have but I didn't win the World Championship be refusing pots," said Murphy.
A superb pot on a long red gave Murphy the opportunity to clinch the match and he admitted as much afterwards.
"It was a defining moment. The pocket looked really big and I thought I'd throw all my eggs into one basket," he added.
"I'm happy to be in the last eight. It was nice to show under pressure that I could pot balls."
Murphy started the better and Doherty found himself a frame behind after last season's Crucible winner pocketed a superb 101 break in the opener of the evening.
But the Ranelagh man levelled with a 42 run, before the next two frames were shared.
Murphy had a 59 break for 2-1, while Doherty pinched the fourth frame as it drifted towards the half-hour mark.
A scrappy fifth went Murphy's way, before Doherty then moved up a gear to knock in 77 break.
World number 11 Doherty then went ahead for the first time in the match and gave himself a two-frame advantage.
Murphy responded with a splendid 80 break and then squared the match with a 51 run in the 10th frame to send the match into a nerve-racking decider.
And, with a nerveless 86 break, it was Murphy who booked himself a deserved slot in the next round.
"I couldn't believe he went for that shot, the long red," admitted Doherty.
"There's not many players who would take that on, but fair play to him. It was a great shot and in the last three frames I didn't do much wrong.
"It's hard to go down in the last frame because I didn't get a chance.
I did have a chance to kill of the match when I was 5-3 ahead, but he snookered me and I didn't too much wrong after that."
