Ebdon impressed by champion Murphy
Peter Ebdon paid a glowing tribute to Shaun Murphy on the eve of their 888.com World Championship quarter-final – then stressed his determination to dethrone the title-holder.
The duo meet in a repeat of last year’s semi-final which Murphy, then very much the underdog, won 17-12 before edging Matthew Stevens to become a shock winner of the trophy.
Now the roles are reversed, with the 23-year-old the bookmakers’ choice to reach the final again as he aims to end the curse of first-time Crucible champions defending the crown.
Ebdon, who captured the title in 2002, is full of praise for the way Murphy has conducted himself over the last 12 months but is also happy with his own form as the event reaches a vital stage.
“Shaun has been an exceptional world champion,” said the eighth seed, who gave himself a night off by completing his 13-2 victory over David Gray in the second round with a session to spare.
“He has done a lot to promote the game in the last 12 months. Not everyone would have done that so all credit to him – he has made a wonderful effort for snooker.
“I tried to do that when I was world champion and it would be nice to have that opportunity again.”
Renowned for being probably the toughest competitor on the circuit, Ebdon’s opening two matches in Sheffield this year could not have represented a greater contrast.
While his dismissal of Gray was as straightforward as it could possibly have been, he struggled to beat Michael Holt in round one and had to burn the midnight oil to complete a 10-8 success.
“I’m as well prepared as I’ve ever been here,” said the 35-year-old.
“I’ve avoided taking any notice of the other matches and couldn’t even tell you who is left in the tournament. I’ve got my own job to do and just want to focus on each individual match.
“But I know that if and when I get tested more than I have been so far, I’ll have put the work in and be able to respond.
“I thought I was a strong favourite at 12-12 against Shaun last year, but he played some amazing snooker to win the next five frames and go through to the final. He’ll be very tough to beat.”
Ebdon and Murphy begin their quarter-final this afternoon, as do Mark Williams and Ronnie O'Sullivan in a mouth-watering clash.
O'Sullivan had to raise his game significantly to get the better of Welsh qualifier Ryan Day, who had threatened to cause an upset when entering the final session with a 9-7 lead.
But a couple of miscues caused by a hard dome on his cue tip that was unreceptive to chalk proved costly for Day, who had no answer as ‘The Rocket’ swept past him to win 13-10.
In the other quarter-finals, Ireland’s Ken Doherty takes on Hong Kong’s Marco Fu, while Scotland’s Graeme Dott is up against Australia’s Neil Robertson.
