Shaun Murphy has praised the performance of Jamie Jones during their World Championship clash and the Englishman believes the Welsh star has the potential to move higher up the rankings. Murphy, who landed the title at the Crucible back in 2005, came into the season-ending event in decent form, having reached four ranking event finals this campaign.
The 35-year-old was drawn against Jones in the first round of this year’s World Championship and ‘The Magician’ was expected to make a strong start to his second quest for a second title in Sheffield. It was a high-quality affair between both players, with 13 breaks of over 50 made between the pair, and the encounter came down to a nail-biting final frame. Jones, who is yet to win a ranking tournament, managed to hold his nerve to take the match 10-9 and book his spot in the second round of the tournament for only the second time in his career.
The last time the Welshman made it past the first hurdle was back in 2012 when he went all the way to the quarter-finals, eventually being ousted by runner-up Ali Carter. Murphy, who has struggled with neck and back issues during the season, was full of praise for his opponent and believes Jones has everything required to surge up the world rankings. “He’s a fiery little terrier of a player and he never lets you go. He plays far better here than he does elsewhere. If he can play like that he should be much higher up the rankings than he is.”
World number 51 Jones will now take on Kyren Wilson, who has reached three ranking finals this season, in the next round after his impressive 10-3 victory over Matthew Stevens. Jones is the 2/1 outsider to pick up the win whilst his English opponent is the 4/11 favourite.
Snooker odds available at Dafabet.