Shaun Murphy says he expects “fireworks” when he meets Judd Trump in the quarter-finals of the Dafabet Masters on Friday. Murphy booked his place in the last eight with a nervy win over Ali Carter, in which he looked set to squander a 4-0 lead. The 2015 champion seemed sharp early on as he fired breaks of 119 and 87 but lost his way and allowed Carter to level. However, after taking the ninth frame, he wrapped things up with a break of 76 to book his place in the quarters.
Murphy has had a decent season to date, winning the recent Champion of Champions to finally convert after losing in the finals of the China Championship, Paul Hunter Classic and UK Championship. He is currently 9.00 to triumph at the Alexandra Triumph but Trump is shorter in the betting at 6.00 and looks in fine fettle after edging past Liang Wenbo in the opening round. The European Masters champion is 1.61 to win on Friday, with Murphy priced at 2.30 and Trump will be confident, having won their last two meetings.
It promises to be an intriguing battle and The Magician knows he has his work cut out. Murphy is predicting an exciting contest and has praised his opponent for his ability on the baize. “There could be fireworks,” he said. “Judd can be a phenomenal snooker player, his break-building is only second to Ronnie’s. I’ve got my work cut out. “I’ll go out there to play how I play and hopefully, I’ll get to six before he does.”
Dafabet Masters odds available at Dafabet.