Shaun Murphy has warned Ronnie O’Sullivan that he will be ‘more than a handful’ when they meet in a blockbuster Masters semi-final on Saturday, if he can repeat his performance of Thursday night.
The Magician looked very good in securing a 6-3 win over Jack Lisowski in the quarter-finals, knocking in breaks of 131, 123, 76 and 75 along the way to opening up a 5-1 lead.
Jackpot battled back but Murphy eventually potted an incredible final black to finish the match off and kill off the Lisowski charge.
O’Sullivan was not so fluent in his 6-3 win over Barry Hawkins earlier in the day, struggling to find anything like his best form, but still doing enough to reach the last four.
Murphy does not have a great record against the Rocket, with four wins to O’Sullivan’s 15 in all competitions, but he will go into the game confident after a fine display.
‘There aren’t many players who have a positive win ratio against O’Sullivan, I’m not in a small club,’ he told the BBC. ‘I have beaten Ronnie before many times, in big matches in finals, Premier League, Champion of Champions.
‘It’s not as if I’ve never beaten him, I’ll give as good as I get, who’ll get to six first I’ve no idea but I’ll go out there trying my best, I’ll be trying to put the balls in the pockets. If I play like I did tonight I think I could be a handful.’
He added on Eurosport: ‘We’ve had a lot of good matches over the years. Obviously a big, big test. The biggest test, the sternest test. I think if I played like I did today I might be more than a handful.’
Murphy recognises that he will not just be taking on the world number one, but also the crowd in north London, where the Rocket will be the fan favourite.
‘Obviously playing Ronnie in London will come with its own challenges,’ said Murphy. ‘It’s a first for me, it’s never happened, I’ve obviously seen it happen enough, but we’ve never played here.
‘I imagine he will have most of the support as he does everywhere, it doesn’t matter if he plays in Tibet or here, he has the biggest support of anyone. But I think for the neutrals, while of course we’re trying to win, it’s about putting a show on, entertainment and I think we’ll put a good show on.’
The 41-year-old was playing a very free-flowing, attacking game against Lisowski on Thursday night and it is what he intends and hopes to do against O’Sullivan, returning to his natural and most dangerous style of play.
‘Maybe finally with age I’ve learned that my best strength is to play like I did when I was 20,’ he said. ‘It’s been a long journey of learning and trying to be a more complete player, and I can do the other stuff, but I like to get the balls open as quickly as possible and put them in the pockets. I’m better when I get on my toes, bounce round the table and be aggressive.’
He added: ‘I think that’s how I’m going to play now until I retire. I think I’ve finally learned after 20-odd years on tour that I should stick to my game. That’s what I do best, got on with it, get my average shot time down and that’s what brings the best out of me.
‘It’s not going to win me every match, it’s not going to win me every tournament. That’s how I play my best snooker. That’s how I enjoy myself out there, that’s what it’s all about.’
A frustrated Lisowski told Eurosport: ‘Just wasn’t good enough today, Shaun looked really good to start with and put me under a lot of pressure.
‘I dragged him down at the end, for sure. I was just trying to make a game of it but I wasn’t at the races today. Just one of them days. I felt like I was struggling everywhere. Positional play, safety, long-pots. I’m gutted.’
MORE : Ronnie O’Sullivan jaded and unwell but still swinging at The Masters
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