The Magician is back! 🪄 Shaun Murphy captured his first Triple Crown title in a decade by defeating Kyren Wilson 10-7 in an electrifying Johnstone's Paint Masters final at London's iconic Alexandra Palace on Sunday.
Murphy started strong, wrapping up the first session with a commanding 6-2 lead. But Wilson wasn't going down without a fight! 💪 From 8-4 down, Wilson launched a stunning comeback, winning three consecutive frames and allowing Murphy just one point between the 13th and 15th frames. With impressive breaks of 78 and 65, he narrowed the gap to just one frame at 8-7.
In the nail-biting 16th frame, Wilson attempted a challenging long red but missed. Murphy seized the moment, scoring a crucial 55 to extend his lead to 9-7. Sensing victory, Murphy sealed the deal in style with a century break of 100 in the next frame, clinching the championship title! 🏆
\"It's totally unbelievable, I'm in shock,\" Murphy shared, his joy palpable. \"I genuinely thought that my days of competing for these Triple Crown events had gone. There were too many bad losses, you start seeing demons in the pockets. The loss in the world final in 2015 really hurt me, and the one in 2021 also took it out of me.\"
Murphy credited his resurgence to working with Peter Ebdon: \"I've been working with Peter, and that's what has saved me because I was in a spiral of negativity. The first thing he wanted to do was restore my belief that I can actually do this. Three events in and we are winners. I came here, having worked very hard on my game, in a really good frame of mind. To make the 147 yesterday completed a lifetime ambition. And now to be here with the trophy, it's one of the best days of my life.\" 🌟
This victory adds another prestigious trophy to Murphy's collection, alongside his 2005 World Championship, 2008 UK Championship, and 2015 Masters titles. He's now one of only 12 players to win the Masters multiple times—a true legend of the game! 🎯
Reference(s):
Murphy beats Wilson to claim his first Triple Crown title in a decade
cgtn.com
