Steve Davis kicked off Friday’s BBC coverage over the Snooker World Championship with a jovial response to Dennis Taylor’s brutal joke. The two icons of the sport faced off in the World Championship final back in 1985 with Taylor coming out on top and he was quick to remind Davis of that thrilling match.
Upon being welcomed back to Sheffield, the former said: “It’s great to be back at the one table situation on the Crucible floor and lots of people don’t realise we’ve won seven world titles between the two of us.” Davis swiftly replied: “I am not enjoying this… standing too close to him around here. Go on, kiss it again and get it over with!” The crowd got involved, erupting in the background at Davis’ response.
Just over 40 years ago, Davis headed into that clash, which has become known as the black-ball final, as the defending champion. Despite leading 7-0, it went down to a deciding frame with Taylor eventually potting the black to win his only World Championship title.
Davis and Taylor had their back-and-forth referencing that classic just moments before the second day of semi-final action with John Higgins taking on Shaun Murphy in the morning session. Their match was level at 4-4 in frames from day one with the Scot narrowly 8-7 in front after a few more hours of play on friday.
In the other semi-final, which kicked off on Thursday eveing, Wu Yize is 6-2 ahead against Mark Allen. Their match was interrupted by a power cut at the Crucible and while Allen won two frames while that issue was ongoing, his 22-year-old opponent closed out the first session in sensational form.
Regardless of who wins, a new champion is set to be crowned with the 2025 winner Xhao Zintong eliminated at the quarter-final stage by Murphy. Higgins also secured a landmark triumph earlier in the tournament as he knocked out the legendary Ronnie O’Sullivan in a thrilling clash.
On the opposite side of the bracket, Allen beat Barry Hawkins in a tense match that went down to the final few frames. For Wu Yize, it has been a history-making tournament as he looks set for a spot in the final having never won a game at the Crucible just a few weeks ago.
There is still plenty of snooker to be played though with both semi-final matches as best-of-33 and they are likely to go the distance this weekend. The 2026 final will then take place on the bank holiday Monday with the winner claiming £500,000 in prize money.