Shaun Murphy is trying to fight poor shot time, which has recently crept into his game. Ronnie O’Sullivan, his opponent in the Masters semi-final, has encouraged him. Murphy, who appears to be quicker and more aggressive at the table, defeated Jack Lisowski 6-3 in the quarterfinal and led 3-1 at the mid-session break after 51 minutes of play, which featured a 131 break from “The Magician.”
In order to go to the 2024 Masters final, Shaun Murphy will face Ronnie O’Sullivan, and “The Magician” has shared his newfound approach, which was influenced by “The Rocket” himself.
In the quarterfinals, Murphy defeated Jack Liswoski 6-3 to force a showdown with O’Sullivan, who earlier on Thursday defeated Barry Hawkins to pursue an eighth Masters crown.
The 41-year-old, who won the Masters in 2015, acknowledged that he has recently let his game to wane but has drawn motivation from the seven-time World Champion to keep it going.
Murphy told Eurosport, “I’ve been really guilty. Even with winning tournaments—I won three last year—I’ve been falling into second or third gear. “I took my time and was extremely cautious.” I got caught up in examining things for much too long.We’ve all been practicing for countless hours since we were little, and I’ve saved every shot. I’m aware of the play to make. It is not necessary for me to scan the table four times.Observe O’Sullivan; he effortlessly handles tasks and possesses a keen sense of judgment. Everything is known to us. You just slow down because of your anxiousness and need to be flawless, and ultimately, I don’t think it helps.
Murphy was cruising 5-1 in his quarter-final encounter with Lisowski at one time and opened the battle in scorching manner, sinking an eight-minute break of 75 to capture the opening frame.
Murphy completed a break of 131 in only 51 minutes, leading 3-1 at the halfway point of the session.
‘Jackpot’ cut the deficit to two frames, 5-3, but Murphy didn’t appear to be under any pressure. He said that his “newfound desire” to play faster and more aggressively enabled him to finish the game.
“I’ve had quite a difficult life,” a dejected O’Sullivan said of his snooker woes.
“He’s got a gift that nobody else has,” McManus advises. Lisowski will “soon” capture the ranking championship.
The Masters in real time: Murphy triumphs.
We both had opportunities in the second frame, and in the closing moments of the match, he put me to the sword very severely. I believe I won the first frame in one stroke from the break-off early in the match, he added. “The British Open match even reached the final, but it was strictly a one-visit event.”I reasoned that since he was only human, “Maybe he’s not quite at the peak of his powers today” when I saw in the first picture that he didn’t clear up in one hit. He has the ability to simply sit there and blow you away.That’s what had occurred in the two prior sessions, but I genuinely believe that my recent desire and choice to.
“I went through a phase when I was being assertive but foolish between the middle of the 2000s and the beginning of the 2010s. I’m not foolish anymore, and I know when to control myself, but naturally, everyone likes to be aggressive.
Murphy feels he has a chance to defeat the seven-time Masters winner in his next matchup with O’Sullivan, which will be his first semi-final match since 2020.
“Excited,” he said. “We’ve performed elsewhere; we’ve never done so here. We’ve had many excellent games together over the years.We haven’t played in a long time, but this is undoubtedly a huge challenge. The hardest exam—the harshest test, of course.
“I could be a real handful if I play like I did today.”
Watch the 2024 Masters live on Discovery+ and Eurosport.
