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Shaun Murphy raised eyebrows with an unusual request live on the BBC after progressing into the third round of the World Snooker Championship. The former world champion is searching for his second Crucible crown and made light work of the round two clash.

Murphy raced to an early advantage by winning the first five frames, giving him what proved to be an unassailable lead. Xhao Guodong took frames six and seven, but Murphy won eight of the following nine to book his spot in next week's third round.

He also bagged himself an early getaway, given the match was won with a session to spare. As such, the Magician was asked how he plans to spend his evening off by the BBC presenter, to which Murphy replied with a characteristic quip.

In response to Catrin Heledd's question, he joked to the host and Ken Doherty: "You're both very welcome to come to ours. Sun's out, might get the barbecue out!"

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It's been a strong start to the tournament for the Triple Crown winner, who for the first time since reaching the final in 2021 has progressed beyond the second round. In fact, before this year's edition, Murphy had won just two of his second-round matches, and in both of those years he'd reached the final.

Reflecting on the win, Murphy told the BBC: "I'm delighted. You go into a session like that having not broken the back of the match but with a great lead at 6-2."

"The last frame of the first session was massive yesterday. You know, mathematically it's possible to win with a session to spare, but you don't think it's going to happen. I kept getting those little chances, and I'm really pleased with how I played. I'm delighted, it doesn't happen often.

Murphy will now play either Ding Junhui or reigning champion Zhao Xintong in the third round. Looking ahead to the remainder of the tournament, he concluded: "Everybody is so good, so it's very rare. I'm thrilled with it, and we're going to ship out of Sheffield now and go home for a few days.

"I've got my practice table at home - I can do as much as I want instead of having to dodge in for half an hour at the Crucible. I've got my table at home, and I can spend the next few days getting ready for what's going to be a big game."