Murphy impressed by Ronnie

Shaun Murphy believes Ronnie O’Sullivan is already showing “ominous” form the in defence of his title at the Betfair World Championship.

Murphy impressed by Ronnie

Shaun Murphy believes Ronnie O’Sullivan is already showing “ominous” form the in defence of his title at the Betfair World Championship.

Despite spending nearly a year out of the sport, O’Sullivan played some sparkling snooker in his 10-4 first-round win over Marcus Campbell on Saturday.

Murphy was also sharp in seeing off Martin Gould 10-5 last night, but the 30-year-old knows how O’Sullivan performs will be the gauge by which everyone else is measured.

And judging by the signs from O’Sullivan’s first major match since last May’s final, Murphy can see why the four-time champion is being strongly backed to add a fifth title.

“I saw his entrance. I was standing in the wings for his entrance into the arena, and the atmosphere was fantastic,” Murphy said.

“I thought that to go through all of that buzz and everything he’s gone through in the last 12 months, to start as he did was ominous.

“But he’s human and I’m sure he felt a bit nervous as well, and it’ll be interesting to see how he does.”

Murphy began at 5-4 ahead of Gould in their second session, and after he edged a 57-minute opening frame the 2005 champion accelerated to achieve a handsome victory.

Sale-based Murphy is prepared for the gritty side of action at the Crucible, and accepts matches will not always feature champagne snooker.

“Until a few months ago I held the record for the longest frame in a ranking event of 90-something minutes. So 50-odd minutes is nothing to me,” he said.

“I was happy to stay there all night to win that frame because there’s a big difference between 6-4 and 5-all.

“And this is the biggest tournament in the world. If you’re going to try your best it might as well be here.”

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

Manchester City v Liverpool FC - Premier League S Larry Ryan: Should we let coach Klopp write his own ending?
Donegal v Tyrone - Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship Semi-Final Cork vs Mayo game switched from Mallow, Fermanagh vs Armagh rescheduled
Cork v Kerry - Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 1 Limerick forced to move National Hurling League game from Gaelic Grounds
ieStyle Live 2021 Logo
ieStyle Live 2021 Logo

IE Logo
Outdoor Trails

Discover the great outdoors on Ireland's best walking trails

IE Logo
Outdoor Trails

Sport
Newsletter

Latest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited