Shaun Murphy wins Tour Championship 2023

Shaun Murphy has won the Tour Championship, beating Kyren Wilson 10-7 in the final and securing a superb double, after his Players Championship success. He began the match 4-0 down to an impressive Wilson, who marshalled the incredible form he’s maintained in this tournament to dispatch his opponents, but he could do little in the face of the Magician, who held close to his rival and ultimately found the level necessary to dispatch him.

Both players look to be formidable threats at the forthcoming World Championship if they can maintain this level of form, but it was Murphy’s night in the end, picking up his second ranking title of the season as a result.

Wilson got off to the better start, playing some incredible snooker and capitalising on Murphy’s errors. Murphy missed a simple red in frame one, and Wilson responded with a century of 108 to put the first frame on the board. He had first opportunity in the second, and had to take a few chances after some poor position, but he doubled his lead with a break of 84. A safety battle ensued in the third which went Wilson’s way, and he cleared up to the pink after getting a free ball. Frame four, and it was Wilson’s first chance, becoming a break of 111 – he went into the interval 4-0 up.

Murphy had to respond, and he did, making 75 to put the first frame on the board. Wilson played for snookers in the sixth, but it went the way of the Magician, and then made another 75 in a frame that saw the mother of all flukes to go one behind. Both players had chances in frame eight, but a fantastic escape on a snooker from Murphy saw him level after winning with a 67-63 score line – incredibly, it was 4-4 going into the evening session.

The players shared the opening four frames. It was a scrappy start in frame nine, with Wilson mopping up the available balls and making 59 to take a lead, one that vanished as Murphy made a near-total clearance of 131 in the next. Wilson won frame 11, and then Murphy stole the next frame on the black yet again – by all rights, Wilson should have been in the lead, but at the final interval, it was 6-6.

“I had no practice coming into this event so it was a huge bonus to get to the final. Look out for me at the Crucible when I have some prep behind me.”

When they returned, Murphy had found another gear. Frame 13 came down to the colours after a battle, but a long brown saw Murphy take the lead for the first time all match. He then started truly firing, making a 115 after a Wilson miss left him an easy starter. Wilson played well and benefitted from a phenomenal fluke on frame-ball red in the 15th, and Murphy’s battle for snookers passed after he went in-off the green. A long red gave Murphy first chance in the next frame, and he made 95 to move within one of victory. Both players had chances in the final frame, but Murphy got the better of a safety exchange and then made the pots necessary to claim the title.

After the match, Murphy said: “I am blown away, and delighted to come here off the back of the performance at the Players Championship and to win again. The second half of the first session was pivotal, to come from 4-0 down to 4-4 gave me a massive foothold in the match. Around 6-6 or 7-6, I challenged myself to find another gear. The greats I grew up watching, like Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry, always found something extra when they needed it.

“I have been working very hard on my game, but also myself as a person. There has been a lot of soul searching and honest conversations. I had to work on things that were painful. But it has paid off. I knew my game was good months ago, and that has taken some time to prove. There is one event left in the season now and I’d pay a lot of money to keep this form for another couple of weeks. If I can take this patience and composure to the Crucible, I will be a handful for anyone.”

Wilson said: “There are two frames which stick out. I felt I was unlucky not to go 5-3 up as I had Shaun in all sorts of trouble, but he made an incredible escape and put me in trouble. I was disappointed not to be ahead at the end of the first session. And tonight I missed a tricky red when I had a chance to go 7-5 up. Those are big frames and you need to take those chances against someone of Shaun’s class.

“It has been a tough time recently for my family so it has been great to have them up here with me this week. I had no practice coming into this event so it was a huge bonus to get to the final. Look out for me at the Crucible when I have some prep behind me.”