Shaun Murphy certainly put some demons to rest with his capture of the Champion of Champions title.
The world number five finally picked up some silverware after being a beaten finalist on two occasions already this season and it also came at an event where he had previously never won a match in four visits.
His 10-8 win against Ronnie O’Sullivan will also feel bittersweet in the fact that it comes in a rivalry where O’Sullivan has dominated on the big stage.
Murphy was a vast underdog going into this contest having most notably lost all three of their meetings at the World Championship including a famous 13-3 reverse in the 2014 quarter-finals.
O’Sullivan is renowned for being a ferocious bully on the table and had almost certainly put the fear factor into Murphy. Ahead of this final, it was a question of whether Murphy believed he could beat O’Sullivan rather than whether he had the ability to do so.
The Rocket had previously said he enjoys playing Murphy, presumably because his open and attacking game makes it easier for O’Sullivan to play the kind of snooker which suits him best.This in itself is a problem for Murphy in the fact that making it enjoyable for your opponent – especially such a bitter rival – is never a good starting point. And when O’Sullivan raced into a 2-0 lead at the Ricoh Arena it looked like another long day ahead for Murphy.
The Magician’s response was first class though as battled back to lead 5-4 at the end of the first session and then continued his dominance to open up a 9-5 lead at the start of the evening session.
O’Sullivan battled back well to make it 9-8 only to miss frame ball to force a decider and present the Murphy to title. There were times during Ronnie’s fightback that it seemed the snooker gods were conspiring against Murphy and perhaps there was some truth in his lack of belief to beat O’Sullivan.
Snooker is a mentally draining game and almost as much about keeping a clear mind as potting balls and you can only speculate at the damage a defeat from such a commanding position could have inflicted on Murphy.
This win is a big one for him and should give him a huge helping of self-belief for the rest of the season and future meetings with O’Sullivan too.
