Shaun Murphy has responded to John Higgins’ glowing compliment that he hits the ball “like God” after their epic World Championship semi-final at the Crucible. Murphy emerged victorious with a 17-15 win, securing his place in the final, which begins on Sunday at 1pm.
Higgins’ Praise for Murphy
John Higgins, a four-time world champion, was full of admiration for Murphy’s performance in the final session. “Shaun, you can’t hit the ball better than that, the way Shaun hit the ball in the last session, it was incredible,” Higgins said on the BBC. “He hits it like God. Disappointed, but what can you do?”
Higgins, 50, was trailing 11-13 before Murphy produced a stunning comeback, making three centuries in the final session on Saturday afternoon and winning the last four frames in a row. This victory marks Murphy’s fifth trip to a Crucible final.
Murphy’s Reaction
Being called a divine cueist by one of the greatest players in history is a massive confidence boost, and Murphy did not hide his appreciation. “Yeah, I’ll take that,” Murphy said. “I don’t like to give myself too much praise, but I’m going to have that one.”
The 43-year-old Englishman also had kind words for his opponent, stating: “John Higgins, what a player, what a man. The harder it gets out here, the tougher he gets, the better he plays. What a player, what a competitor, what a man he’s been. If I’m half the player when I’m in my fifties as he is, I’ll be very proud.”
Higgins on Murphy’s Single World Title
Higgins expressed surprise that Murphy has only won the World Championship once, given his talent. “It is…it is [surprising], but then you look at the other players. It’s just a tough tournament to win,” said the Wizard of Wishaw. “Judd Trump’s only won it once, Neil Robertson’s only won it once, Shaun’s only won it once. Some guys have not won it. Ding Junhui’s not won it. It’s such a tough tournament to win.”
Higgins added: “He’s got a chance to now win it a second time, but he’s going up against Wu Yize or Mark Allen who are desperate to win it for a first time. It’s set up nicely for the final two days.”
Murphy’s Tactical Adjustment
Murphy admitted he had to adjust his tactics in the final session, opting for a more cautious approach. “I felt like I’d perhaps pushed the pedal a couple of times when I should have waited,” he explained. “There was two or three shots. I just thought, he wouldn’t have played that. Mark Selby wouldn’t have played that. So today I said to Peter Ebdon before we came out, I’m not doing that today. Which is hard for me because my natural instinct was to attack at all times.”
He continued: “And I just thought, I’m not going to play a shot where I’m just going to go, there you go, make as many as you can. Maybe I’m learning eventually. I don’t know. Maybe I’ll find out in the end.”
Meanwhile, Wu Yize and Mark Allen were locked at 11-11 in their semi-final, with the winner set to face Murphy in the final.
