Shaun Murphy returned to action on Monday and claims he was surprised that he managed to find a way past Kyren Wilson at the Players Championship. The Englishman has spent the last three weeks away from the tables after struggling with recurring back and neck injuries. Murphy, who is priced at 28/1 to 2018 World Championship outright, revealed that he hadn’t even been practising in order to allow the aggravated areas enough opportunity to recover. However, he looked in good form in Llandudno as he defeated Wilson 6-3 to set up a quarter-final clash with either John Higgins or Anthony McGill on Friday.
The world number seven opened up a 3-1 lead after hitting breaks of 115 and 133 but he started to come under more pressure as the match developed. Wilson, who fell 5-1 behind, hinted at a comeback as he went on to win back-to-back frames, but Murphy reasserted his dominance to close out the match. “I’ve had neck and back problems for many years,” said Murphy. “I have been able to keep it under wraps in the past. Now I’ve had it for two or three weeks and had to pull out of the Gibraltar Open and Romanian Masters. If I’m being honest, I shouldn’t be here this week. But there’s only so much snooker I can watch at home on TV without getting under my wife’s feet and getting a bit grumpy! “I haven’t hit a ball since losing to Gerard Greene in the Welsh Open. I had a couple of practice sessions today but went into the match tonight with zero expectation, and played better than I could have imagined.
It’s a massive bonus for me to win tonight and I’m thrilled to have the chance of another match here. “In the last few weeks, the only time I’ve left the house is to go for treatment. I’ve been having almost daily physiotherapy, I’ve had acupuncture and seen a chiropractor who has been snapping things I’m not sure should have been snapped! I’d pay a fortune if someone could open my back up, rearrange everything, sew me up and send me on my way. You take that freedom of movement for granted, and when that’s taken away you realise how fortunate you are when everything is going well.”