Murphy & Wu level after first session of world final

Shaun Murphy is playing in his fifth Crucible final, while Wu Yize is featuring in his first [Getty Images]

Shaun Murphy recovered from 3-0 down draw level at 4-4 against Wu Yize in the first session of their World Championship final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

The showpiece match was briefly interrupted in the third frame when a spectator jumped over the barrier on the front row.

The woman was prevented from making any further progress towards the table by referee Rob Spencer before security escorted her out of the venue.

It is not the first time there has been a disruption to this year's tournament. There were several instances of shouting out during Wu's semi-final match against Mark Allen, while fans have repeatedly been warned about phone usage.

At that stage Wu, who is bidding to replace Murphy as the second-youngest Crucible champion, was in charge.

The 22-year-old continued from where he left off against Allen on Saturday evening, with breaks of 51 and 61 helping him establish a healthy early advantage.

However, Murphy took the final frame before the mid-session interval with a run of 85 and then began to impose himself on the contest.

The Englishman is aiming to set a new record for the longest gap between first and second titles, with it being 21 years since he triumphed on snooker's grandest stage.

He restricted Wu to just 25 points across four frames as he responded in style with a flurry of big breaks - with runs of 98, 77 and a superb 109 earning him a 4-3 lead.

Wu, who is the third Chinese player to reach the world final after 2016 runner-up Ding Junhui and last year's champion Zhao Xintong, broke down on 65 while appearing to go for a maximum 147 break in the eighth frame but it did not prove costly as he restored parity.

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