Shaun Murphy books place in China Championship final

ByEurosport

Updated 21/08/2017 at 19:00 GMT

Shaun Murphy completed a 6-4 win over Ali Carter to reach the China Championship final in Guangzhou.

Shaun Murphy during the first round

Image credit: Reuters

In a fairly turgid contest in which neither man found any of their true fluency, Murphy made the highest break of the first six frames with a paltry 54 in the second frame, but found himelf 4-2 behind.

35-year-old Murphy clawed back to 4-3 behind with a 69 before scrambling over the winning line in the next three frames to secure a meeting with Luca Brecel, who beat Li Hang 6-5 to win a thrilling last four encounter and reach Tuesday's final. The champion of the event will earn £150,000.

“I have a terrible record against Ali, it’s a long time since I have beaten him,” said the world number eight. “At 4-2 down I was just trying to hang on to his coat tails. Some of the safety play was very high quality but we both missed chances.

China Championship

Brecel: It wasn't a very good final, I was lucky Murphy didn't play well!

00:00:38

22/08/2017 at 14:31

Carter slams home delightful long red

We are all trying to win every week. It’s not about the money, it’s about who takes the trophy home because that’s what people remember. The opportunities to win one don’t come that often so when they do you have to take them.

Carter can have few complaints with a highest break of 52 an indictment on the standard of the fare on offer.

“It was a rubbish performance all the way through, it was very scrappy," he said.

"I was over-thinking everything and trying to make things too perfect, and then I started making silly mistakes. It’s a tough one to take, I had the chance to go 5-4 up, but I played the green terribly and finished out of position on the brown. Then in the last frame I played a cannon on the last two reds and the white finished in a place where I couldn’t pot either of them.

"But that’s the game paying me back for not taking the chance earlier.”