Players Championship 2023: Shaun Murphy dominates Ali Carter to take first title in three years
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ByEurosport
Updated 27/02/2023 at 08:32 GMT
Shaun Murphy ended his three-year wait for a title in style as he produced a mesmerising performance to brush aside Ali Carter and claim the Players Championship with a 10-4 victory. The 2005 World Champion produced a remarkable five centuries on the day to land the 10th title of his career at this level and his first since 2020. It capped a scintillating week of snooker from Murphy.
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Shaun Murphy was in mesmerising form as he claimed the Players Championship and the £125,000 prize with a 10-4 victory over Ali Carter.
The 2005 world champion produced a remarkable five centuries on the day to land the 10th title of his career at this level and his first since 2020.
A delighted Murphy beamed afterwards: "I mean, I played really good all week, but that performance today, you know when it mattered… I lost in the final last week against Robert Milkins in the Welsh [Open], couldn't get the job done.
"To not just win, but to play like that, you know, I'm going to put it down as one of my biggest ever achievements in my career. Going up against somebody like Ali with the class he's got, the month he's had, his career.
"To play like that when I needed it the most, I'm really going to take that as a feather in the cap."
The platform was built in the afternoon session when Murphy swept into a 6-2 lead with some particularly impressive cue-action including runs of 145, 141 and 112.
The pattern continued in the opening frame of the evening when there was an early suggestion Murphy had a 147 maximum in mind but it all went awry as he blew a simple black to the bottom right pocket with just three reds remaining.
The break of 89 sealed the frame but he looked rather rueful and he evidently did have the eighth maximum break of his career in mind.
Not that he allowed it to upset his game, as he clocked up a fourth century of the final - and a record-extending 10th of the tournament - with a solid 103 to move 8-2 in front.
Carter was clearly lacking in confidence, but he was determined to extend the match as he suddenly rediscovered the rhythm that saw him excel this month when he won the German Masters, ending a break on 71 to reduce the deficit.
With the audience firmly behind him now, Carter claimed a nail-biting frame with a break of 82 to head into the mid-session interval trailing by four frames at 8-4. As it turned out, though, that's as good as it would get for him.
When he is in this form, Murphy is difficult to stop and he simply dusted himself down and got back to business. He landed another heavy score as a splendid 88 clearance moved him to within one of the title.
In the final frame, Murphy fittingly racked up a fifth century of the final courtesy of a sublime 130 clearance to seal victory and cap a scintillating week of snooker by destroying the in-form Carter.
The victory moved Murphy joint 10th on the all-time list with Jimmy White for ranking event titles.
"It just goes to show that, when I've been through the bad times... you've got to keep going, you've got to persevere," Murphy said.
"There have been a lot of, you know, honest conversations in front of mirrors, there's been a lot of soul-searching.
"I'm very lucky to have some great support, very loyal support with Robert Murphy, who travels with me everywhere. I’ve got some great friends who really dig in when you need them. Obviously, my wife and my family back home."
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