Murphy's Masterclass Stuns Snooker Legend
In a stunning turn of events at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, Shaun Murphy delivered a comprehensive 4-0 whitewash against the legendary Ronnie O'Sullivan during their evening session clash on November 19, 2025. The Magician's dominant performance secured his place in the quarter-finals of the prestigious Saudi tournament, marking his second whitewash victory of the day after earlier defeating Saudi wildcard Ziyad Alqabbani.
Ruthless Performance From 2005 Champion
While Murphy faced an entirely different challenge against the seven-time world champion, he produced the same emphatic result. The 2005 world champion displayed exceptional form, particularly with his long-potting, and sealed the victory with impressive breaks of 93 and 53 against a below-par O'Sullivan. The Rocket's performance was uncharacteristically poor, with his pot success rate languishing at just 79 per cent for the match.
Commentator Neil Robertson expressed sheer disbelief at one particularly straightforward missed yellow from O'Sullivan in the final frame, exclaiming: 'Oh my goodness. I don't think I've ever seen him miss a ball like that ever!' The error highlighted the extent of O'Sullivan's struggles throughout the encounter.
Quarter-Final Clash and Tournament Implications
This significant victory books Murphy a quarter-final showdown with world champion Zhao Xintong on Thursday in the high-stakes Saudi event. For O'Sullivan, the search for silverware continues, with his last tournament triumph dating back to March 2024 when this same competition was known as the World Masters of Snooker.
Murphy expressed his delight after ending his long drought against the snooker great: 'Very, very happy. It's a long time since I tasted victory against Ronnie and they're special any time they come up. I was pleased with how I played and delighted to get through. I just tried to go out and play snooker tonight as I have done all season and thankfully most of those long reds went in.'
The Magician wasn't exaggerating about his dry spell against the Rocket - his previous victory over O'Sullivan occurred way back in 2017, when he secured a 10-8 win in the Champion of Champions final. Murphy had since suffered six consecutive defeats against the seven-time world champion before finally breaking that streak in spectacular fashion in Riyadh.
Murphy's excellent 2025 campaign continues to gather momentum, having already seen him claim victories at both the Masters and the British Open this season, establishing him as one of the form players on the circuit.
