Shaun Murphy continued his sturdy begin to the 2024/25 snooker season with a 5-0 demolition of Jamie Clarke within the Xi’an Grand Prix on Tuesday.
The Magician produced a scientific show of heavy scoring to comprehensively see off the Welshman’s problem within the spherical of 64.
Murphy compiled breaks of 128, 103, 100, 84, and 76 as he raced via on the Qujiang E-Sports activities Centre.
The final marketing campaign for Murphy began brightly with success in Championship League Snooker, however the Englishman didn’t reached the quarter-finals of any rating occasion after that.
With loads of factors to defend from the 2022/23 time period, Murphy is subsequently at risk of dropping exterior the highest 16 on the planet rankings this season.
Certainly, his provisional end-of-season rating is down at quantity 24 which means that his return to the Crucible Theatre for the World Championship is way from assured.
Nevertheless, the indicators to this point throughout this season have been constructive and Murphy is clearly feeling extra assured after his run to the invitational Shanghai Masters ultimate a month in the past.
“I’ve obtained no concept the place that got here from,” a happy Shaun Murphy advised the World Snooker Tour following his three-ton efficiency.
“Jamie requested me on the finish of the sport if I discovered one thing in my sport or have I been engaged on one thing?”
“No concept what occurred. I suppose that reveals that there’s a little bit of life within the outdated canine simply but.
“I celebrated my forty second birthday final week, so there’s nonetheless a little bit of life in there. I’m delighted to play that sport.
“If I can carry that type on, who is aware of how far I might go?
“The rankings don’t inform lies, and the end-of-season provisional record for me is fairly bleak studying in the intervening time.
“Though the Shanghai Masters is an enormous match, this occasion as a result of it carries the rating factors is equally as huge if no more essential for me.
“I have to make some inroads on what was a horrible season final yr and begin climbing that rating once more.
“The very last thing I wish to do is go to the qualifiers for the World Championship or one thing, so I’ve obtained my work to do.
“If I play like that, I is perhaps okay.”
Though Murphy has endured some troublesome spells of late, the previous world champion has no plans to retire any time quickly.
“I’m so grateful for the alternatives that snooker has given me,” he continued.
“It gave me a possibility in life which I’ll by no means ever overlook. It’s nice to return out to locations like this.”
“We’ve been so blessed as snooker gamers to go all over the world, and this week we’re visiting a really well-known metropolis in Xi’an.
“We’ve had the prospect to exit and see the Terracotta Warriors, the followers right here have been good.
“It’s at all times nice to play in entrance of such enthusiastic and type followers, as they’re in China. It’s one other nice week on the World Snooker Tour.”
Elsewhere, the spherical of 32 lineup was finalised because the Xi’an Grand Prix motion continued on day two in China.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, Kyren Wilson, Mark Allen, and Mark Selby had been among the many different marquee contenders to soundly advance.
The most recent huge upset, nevertheless, noticed Neil Robertson defeated 5-2 by Yuan Sijun.
Robertson has proven glimpses of a return to some type of late however with out the general consistency to counsel {that a} deep run in a giant occasion is imminent.
Xiao Guodong, Pang Junxu, and Xu Si had been among the many Chinese language contingent who certified for the subsequent spherical on residence soil.
Zhang Anda bowed out with a 5-2 reverse in opposition to Graeme Dott, although, whereas Zhou Yuelong misplaced by the identical margin to Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
By the top of Wednesday’s play, the final 16 lineup might be decided.
2024 Xi’an Grand Prix draw
Spherical of 128
High Half
Kyren Wilson 5-2 Haris Tahir
He Guoqiang 5-4 Ashley Carty
Anthony McGill 5-0 Xing Zihao
Ricky Walden 5-3 Liam Davies
John Higgins 5-2 Alexander Ursenbacher
Sunny Akani 5-2 Fan Zhengyi
Dean Younger 5-3 Robert Milkins
Jimmy Robertson 5-1 Huang Jiahao
Elliot Slessor 5-0 Manasawin Phetmalaikul
Chris Wakelin 5-4 Rory Thor
Mark Davis 5-3 Ishpreet Singh Chadha
Mark Williams 5-0 Liam Graham
Jamie Jones 5-2 Mostafa Dorgham
Stuart Bingham 5-1 Zhou Jinhao
Xu Si 5-4 Jiang Jun
Ding Junhui 4-5 Alfie Burden
Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-0 Wang Yuchen
Révész Bulcsú 5-0 David Grace
Neil Robertson 5-2 Allan Taylor
Yuan Sijun 5-1 Bai Yulu
Zhang Anda 5-1 Oliver Traces
Graeme Dott 5-2 Ma Shaojun
Hossein Vafaei 5-1 Ahmed Aly Elsayed
Dylan Emery 5-2 Jackson Web page
Amir Sarkhosh 5-3 Joshua Thomond
Si Jiahui 5-4 Jimmy White
Gong Chenzhi 5-4 Anthony Hamilton
Tom Ford 5-3 Stan Moody
Matthew Selt 5-2 Ian Burns
Joe O’Connor 5-3 Duane Jones
Zak Surety 5-2 Sanderson Lam
Hammad Miah w/o Luca Brecel
Backside Half
Judd Trump 5-2 Antony Kowalski
Ma Hailong 5-3 Martin O’Donnell
Lyu Haotian 5-2 Baipat Siripaporn
Artemijs Zizins 5-3 Robbie Williams
Jak Jones 5-4 Robbie McGuigan
Tian Pengfei 5-0 Farakh Ajaib
Jack Lisowski 5-1 Ross Muir
Joe Perry 5-0 Mink Nutcharut
Jordan Brown 5-2 Liam Pullen
David Gilbert 5-1 Reanne Evans
Ben Mertens 5-4 Simon Blackwell
Gary Wilson 5-4 Lengthy Zehuang
Paul Deaville 5-3 Wu Yize
Pang Junxu 5-2 Michael Holt
Aaron Hill 5-2 Chris Totten
Mark Selby 5-3 Wang Xinbo
Shaun Murphy 5-1 Mitchell Mann
Jamie Clarke 5-0 Cao Jin
Noppon Saengkham 5-3 Andrew Pagett
Dominic Dale 5-4 Mohammed Shehab
Daniel Wells 5-4 Ali Carter
Julien Leclercq 5-4 Ben Woollaston
Zhou Yuelong 5-1 Haydon Pinhey
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-3 Lei Peifan
Matthew Stevens 5-0 Andrew Higginson
Ryan Day 5-4 Cheung Ka Wai
Scott Donaldson w/o Lim Kok Leong
Barry Hawkins 5-1 Kreishh Gurbaxani
Xiao Guodong 5-2 Iulian Boiko
Stephen Maguire 5-1 Ken Doherty
David Lilley 5-3 Louis Heathcote
Mark Allen 5-2 Liu Hongyu
Spherical of 64
High Half
Kyren Wilson 5-2 He Guoqiang
Anthony McGill 3-5 Ricky Walden
John Higgins 4-5 Sunny Akani
Dean Younger 4-5 Jimmy Robertson
Elliot Slessor 2-5 Chris Wakelin
Mark Davis 2-5 Mark Williams
Jamie Jones 3-5 Stuart Bingham
Xu Si 5-4 Alfie Burden
Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-2 Bulcsú Révész
Neil Robertson 2-5 Yuan Sijun
Zhang Anda 2-5 Graeme Dott
Hossein Vafaei 5-3 Dylan Emery
Amir Sarkhosh 3-5 Si Jiahui
Gong Chenzhi 5-1 Tom Ford
Matthew Selt 5-4 Joe O’Connor
Zak Surety 3-5 Hammad Miah
Backside Half
Judd Trump 5-0 Ma Hailong
Lyu Haotian 5-2 Artemijs Zizins
Jak Jones 5-3 Tian Pengfei
Jack Lisowski 5-2 Joe Perry
Jordan Brown 2-5 David Gilbert
Ben Mertens 1-5 Gary Wilson
Paul Deaville 0-5 Pang Junxu
Aaron Hill 0-5 Mark Selby
Shaun Murphy 5-0 Jamie Clarke
Noppon Saengkham 3-5 Dominic Dale
Daniel Wells 5-3 Julien Leclercq
Zhou Yuelong 2-5 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Matthew Stevens 2-5 Ryan Day
Barry Hawkins w/o Scott Donaldson
Xiao Guodong 5-1 Stephen Maguire
David Lilley 1-5 Mark Allen
Spherical of 32
High Half
Kyren Wilson 5-3 Ricky Walden
Sunny Akani 3-5 Jimmy Robertson
Chris Wakelin 2-5 Mark Williams
Stuart Bingham 4-5 Xu Si
Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-1 Yuan Sijun
Hossein Vafaei w/o Graeme Dott
Si Jiahui 3-5 Gong Chenzhi
Matthew Selt 5-2 Hammad Miah
Backside Half
Judd Trump 5-1 Lyu Haotian
Jak Jones 5-4 Jack Lisowski
David Gilbert 5-3 Gary Wilson
Pang Junxu 4-5 Mark Selby
Shaun Murphy 2-5 Dominic Dale
Daniel Wells 5-4 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Ryan Day 3-5 Barry Hawkins
Xiao Guodong 2-5 Mark Allen
Spherical of 16
Kyren Wilson 5-4 Jimmy Robertson
Mark Williams 4-5 Xu Si
Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-0 Hossein Vafaei
Gong Chenzhi 4-5 Matthew Selt
Judd Trump 5-1 Jak Jones
David Gilbert 5-4 Mark Selby
Dominic Dale 1-5 Daniel Wells
Barry Hawkins 5-3 Mark Allen
Quarter-Finals (bo9)
Matches to be performed on Friday, August twenty third
Kyren Wilson 5-1 Xu Si
Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-4 Matthew Selt
Judd Trump vs David Gilbert
Daniel Wells vs Barry Hawkins
Semi-Finals (bo11)
Matches to be performed on Saturday, August twenty fourth
Kyren Wilson vs Ronnie O’Sullivan
TBC vs TBC
Remaining (bo19)
Match to be performed on Sunday, August twenty fifth
TBC vs TBC
Featured picture credit score: WST
