Former world champion Shaun Murphy comes into Shanghai firmly established in the top three of the rankings these days, but he has warned that supporters should not expect too much, too soon from him this season…
Shaun told the Sheffield Star:
“Because of some commitments I had to complete at the back end of the summer, I have only actually been able to get on the table in the last couple of weeks, so my preparation hasn’t been great,”
“I was very pleased with how I finished last season, so I haven’t been working on anything too specific in practice, mainly just trying to get the scoring and safety sides of my game working together in unison.
“I have been working hard, and my form in the club has been very good.
“I am reasonably happy, but with my time away from the table over the last few weeks I’d be happy with anything past the quarter-finals.”
“With it being the first tournament of the season, everyone will be feeling their way. There might be the odd shock, but I’d be happy to reach the last eight. I’m looking no further than that, really.”
Despite this I would still expect him to overcome Andy Hicks in his first match tomorrow to set up a match with Marco Fu or Anthony Hamilton, but it will be interesting to see just how sharp he looks…