Shaun Murphy staves off Kyren Wilson comeback to win Masters and £350k prize money
Share:
Shaun Murphy held his nerve against snooker's world champion, Kyren Wilson, to win his second Masters title and bank a cool £350,000 in prize money. Murphy, 42, came into Sunday night's second and final session firmly in the driving seat, with 'the Magician' conjuring up a 6-2 lead earlier in the day. Wilson battled back before Murphy eventually pulled off an 10-7 win in the best of 19 frames, lifting the Paul Hunter Trophy inside a packed Alexandra Palace.
Last year's World Championship winner, Wilson, took the first frame of the second session, closing the gap to three. Harlow-born Murphy responded twice to boast an 8-4 lead at the mid-session break, with victory in his sights. But then, for the first time in the final, Kettering's Wilson won back-to-back frames and then a third, setting up a tense finale with only one frame in it. The momentum suddenly shifted again, as Murphy finally got a grip on the evening session and took a 9-7 lead with a maximum of three frames remaining. There was even a re-rack in the next frame, as Murphy sealed it with a century break.
Murphy will now pocket the biggest first prize in the 50-year history of the Masters, up a whopping £100,000 on last year's reward. In beating 33-year-old Wilson, who'll take home £140,000, Murphy ended his 10-year wait to win one of the Triple Crown tournaments, having claimed the Masters in 2015.
