Shaun Murphy insists he cannot wait to take on Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final of the UK Championship after beating Ryan Day on Saturday night. The 35-year-old set up a mouth-watering clash with O’Sullivan after beating Day 6-3 in York. Murphy surged into a 1-0 lead after a break of 104, before Day drew level. Breaks of 73, 89 and 135 allowed Murphy to take control at 4-1 up before Day hit back only to then make a crucial error in the seventh frame to remain three behind. Murphy clinched the victory with breaks of 59 and 22 and he is now on the lookout for a repeat result against O’Sullivan.
He beat his rival 10-8 in the final of the Champion of Champions last month and a win over 19 frames will see him pocket £170,000. The Englishman will also win the first Triple Crown title of the season and he admits Sunday’s final is something to look forward to. Murphy told World Snooker: “I played well, scored heavily and my safety was ok. Ryan is so dangerous and he believes he can beat anyone. “Tomorrow is one of the biggest matches of the season alongside the Masters and World Championship finals. I’ll be playing Ronnie in the final of a Triple Crown event for the first time and that’s a dream come true for me because he’s the best player of all time. I can’t wait.”
“The fact that I beat him in the Champion of Champions final recently means I know I can get to ten frames before him. But I’ll have to bring all the departments of my game to the party. I love watching him play but hopefully I won’t spend too much time sitting in my chair doing that. “Ronnie is a sporting phenomenon and we’re lucky to be playing in the same era. He will turn up tomorrow, the question is whether I can settle down and not be a rabbit in the headlights.” A close game is expected in the showdown and you can back Murphy to win 10-8 at odds of 10/1.
UK Championship odds available at Dafabet.