Shaun Murphy triumphed over Kyren Wilson with a 10-7 victory in an all-English final at the Johnstone’s Paint Masters on Sunday. The match, held at Alexandra Palace in London, marked Murphy’s first Triple Crown title in ten years.
The 42-year-old, known as “The Magician,” started strong, leading 6-2 after the first session. However, Wilson mounted an impressive comeback, narrowing the gap from 8-4 to 8-7. He dominated frames 13 to 15, allowing Murphy just one point and showcasing top breaks of 78 and 65.
In the pivotal 16th frame, Wilson attempted a challenging long red but missed, giving Murphy an opening. Seizing the opportunity, Murphy scored a break of 55 to extend his lead to 9-7. He then sealed his victory in the next frame with a brilliant century break of 100, his fourth of the match.
“It’s totally unbelievable; I’m in shock,” Murphy expressed after his win. “I genuinely thought that my days of competing for these Triple Crown events had gone. There were too many bad losses, and you start seeing demons in the pockets.”
Murphy credited his resurgence to working with former world champion Peter Ebdon. “I’ve been working with Peter, and that’s what has saved me because I was in a spiral of negativity,” he said. “He restored my belief that I can actually do this. Three events in, and we are winners.”
The victory adds to Murphy’s impressive list of achievements, joining his previous Triple Crown titles from the 2005 World Championship, the 2008 UK Championship, and the 2015 Masters. With this win, he becomes only the 12th player to secure multiple Masters titles.
“To make the 147 yesterday completed a lifetime ambition,” Murphy added. “And now to be here with the trophy, it’s one of the best days of my life.”
Reference(s):
Murphy beats Wilson to claim his first Triple Crown title in a decade
cgtn.com
