Shaun Murphy was left 'absolutely heartbroken' by a deciding-frame defeat in the World Snooker Championship final, but was proud of his performance in an epic battle with Wu Yize. The Chinese star emerged with an 18-17 victory in the first deciding-frame Crucible final for 24 years, a match which will go down as one of the greats in Sheffield. Both players provided immense entertainment, going for their shots relentlessly throughout and looking deadly from distance and in the balls over 35 frames.
The Magician was left with no regrets after a fabulous contest, but a fourth defeat from five trips to the World Championship final still stings. 'It was a great match, I thought we put on a great show,' Murphy told a post-match press conference. 'Wu is one of the most talented players I've ever seen and as I said to Hazel out there – I hate being right about things like this – I said after we played in China a few months ago that he would be world champion.'
'I'm delighted for him, I'm absolutely heartbroken for me,' Murphy added. The 43-year-old edged Fan Zhengyi 10-9 in his opening round before downing Xiao Guodong, defending champion Zhao Xintong and John Higgins on a brilliant run to the showpiece. 'I couldn't have tried any harder for the whole tournament,' he said. 'I should have lost the first match and then once I found my stride I felt like I played really, really well for the whole tournament, including the final.'
'Some of the clearances I made to keep myself in it in the penultimate frame and others to steal. The match had everything. I guess people might say I was in first in the decider with a chance, I just lost position early on. But I didn't really do anything wrong. I played the best shots I could play from where the ball's finished. As a snooker player that's really all you can do.'
Wu knocked in a superb 85 in the decider to win it, with Murphy hailing the bravery at the crunch. 'The shot that he went for, to have the courage to go for a shot like that, if he misses that shot, he loses. Of course if he gets it, he wins,' said the Englishman. 'I remember what that feels like as a 22-year-old, having never won a match here and coming here and getting to the final. But all credit to him, when he got his chance, especially having messed up in the penultimate frame, when he got his chance he took his chance.'
'I don't feel like I lost the match, I feel like Wu Yize won the match,' Murphy added. 'I don't feel like I've done a great deal wrong in the whole match to be honest. I thought it was 35 frames of top-flight professional snooker. Unfortunately there has to be a loser.'
It is a sore end to a good season for Murphy, who lifted the British Open title and came as close as he could to a second World Championship without managing it. 'Everything is looking positive,' he said. 'The only negative is that I'm not taking the trophy home but I got very, very close. I'm back up into the top-end of the rankings from a standing start last season. I've had a really good season, possibly my best ever.'
'To win and to be in more finals, the semis of the UK, got to the final here and all the rest of it. The indicators are all going in the right direction. I will allow myself a little break now although I've got plenty of shows in the next few weeks. I won't really go away from snooker but I'll have a bit of a break and once I've mended my heart I'll come back next season.'
