Maximum man Shaun Murphy sets up Masters final with Kyren Wilson
Maximum man Shaun Murphy sets up Masters final with Kyren Wilson
Share:
Shaun Murphy crafted a magnificent 147 break as he came from behind to beat Mark Allen 6-3 and secure his place in the Masters final at Alexandra Palace. He will now play world champion Kyren Wilson for the title after the reigning world champion beat the current world number one Judd Trump by the same score in Saturday’s second semi-final.
Murphy got off to a slow start as Allen took the opening two frames before he reduced the deficit and then made an 83 break to level the match at 2-2 heading into the mid-session interval. On the resumption, Murphy did not allow his momentum to be checked by appearance from the ‘Ally Pally wasp’, going on to take the lead after a break of 54.
The balls then broke perfectly for a maximum attempt in the next frame, two days after ‘The Magician’ had fluffed a chance when he snookered himself at 120 in his match against Neil Robertson. This time he did not let the opportunity slip as he recorded only the sixth 147 in the history of the Masters – and gave himself every chance of taking home the £15,000 prize for the tournament’s highest break.
Once the dust had settled from the celebrations, with the crowd on their feet, world number four Allen dug in to make a half-century and reduce the arrears to 4-3. Any hopes of a comeback, though, were soon dispelled as Murphy made 72 to take the next and then completed victory after a safety battle.
