Shaun Murphy produced a stunning display on day three at the Mattioli Arena, whitewashing seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan 4–0 and Chang Bingyu 6–0 to breeze through a brutal group without dropping a single frame to book his spot in another semi final.
Reflecting on his day, Murphy said: “It was a tougher day than it looked. Two contrasting matches today. Ronnie and I really tried to outmanoeuvre each other in our match. I thought it would be a safety affair, so I was surprised how that went. And no one knows the power of Chang Bingyu better than me. I only got one point against him in the Welsh Open, so I knew going into that match it would be tough, but I thought I played really well. But him and his colleagues are the future of this sport.
Murphy added: “I’m ready for the semi-final match, whoever that is against. But it’s the Champion of Champions. It’s meant to be tough.”
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The group final offered Murphy the chance of redemption against the man who had whitewashed him 4–0 at the Welsh Open, and he took it in emphatic fashion. Clinical from the outset, Murphy capitalised on every opening Chang offered him, punishing his opponent’s mistakes and steadily building a commanding lead.
The highlight came in the third frame, when Murphy compiled a magnificent 142 break to match the highest break of the tournament so far. He added a further century of 107 in the following and never looked back, completing a 6–0 victory to seal his place in the semi-finals in style.
Murphy had opened the day in similarly impressive fashion against O’Sullivan. Despite expecting a tactical battle, he took control early and never relinquished it, compiling runs of 81, 69, 77 and 61 to complete a 4–0 whitewash and start his perfect day.
Chang joined him in the group final after a gripping encounter with reigning World Champion Wu Yize. Chang made a flying start, taking the opening frame with a century break of 109, but Wu responded in style, reeling off three frames in a row with runs of 88, 71 and 142 to move within one of victory. Chang kept the match alive with a run of 85 in the fifth, and Wu looked set to finish the job in the sixth until a costly miss on the brink of victory let Chang level at 3–3. The Chinese player then held his nerve to take the deciding frame and complete a dramatic 4–3 comeback.
Day four brings the final group, as World No.1 Zhao Xintong faces Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and the Masters champion Kyren Wilson takes on Ali Carter, with the last semi-final place up for grabs.
There are still a limited number of tickets available across the week, starting from £15 a session. Secure your ticket here.
For those wanting to catch the action live, find the full list of global broadcasters here.
