Shaun Murphy thrashes Ali Carter 10-4 in Players Championship final

Murphy quickly put the disappointment behind him Loss in Welsh Open final a week ago, dominated the tournament throughout and emerged a brilliant and well-deserved winner on Sunday.

For Carter he couldn’t improve on the German league title he won just a few weeks ago but he can hardly complain on this occasion as he’s encountered an opponent at the top of his game.

A spectacular performance spanning five centuries, including two 140+ aggregate clearances, earned Murphy his first title since the 2020 Welsh Open and in truth he had the result in safekeeping after dominating the afternoon session and leading 6-2.

Not a number himself, Carter grabbed breaks 54, 122 and 59 in the first eight frames, but losing a tight third frame dashed his chances and allowed Murphy to take a 3-0 lead.

Carter rallied to win two of the next three, but Murphy finished the afternoon with breaks of 141 and 112 to firmly take command.

When play resumed a few hours later, the former world champion continued on her merry way with more runs of 89 and 103 stretches to result in the 8-2.

His winning streak was delayed as Carter reduced his deficit to 8-4, but there was not to be a great comeback and Murphy said goodbye in style, breaks of 88 and 130 capping a majestic performance.

“I played really well all week, but last week when it came down to it in the Welsh (Open) final, I couldn’t get the job done,” Murphy said ITV4 after his win.

“Not just winning, but playing like this is what I will cite as one of my greatest achievements in my career. I’m really going to take this like a feather in a cap.”

Murphy added, “The last few seasons I’ve really struggled, but you have to keep going and persevering.

“There has been very little exciting for me in the world of snooker for the past few seasons.

“There has been a lot of honest conversations in front of mirrors and a lot of soul searching, but I’m very fortunate to have great support from friends and family back home.”

Carter said: “Shaun played great and he played the best all week. If he’s in form we’ve seen what happens tonight and it’s incredible that he hasn’t won in three years.

“But it was a great month for me to win the German Masters after such a long time (without winning a tournament) and also to reach the final is huge.

“If someone had told me before Christmas that you would be a ranking event winner, the final of it at the Players Championship and a seedling at the Crucible (for the World Championship), I would have ripped your arm off for it.”