Shaun Murphy is all set for an appetising second-round clash with Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Betfred.com World Championship title trail this Saturday, April 23…
Both players were in top form as they eased through their opening encounters at the Crucible. Murphy, the 2005 world champion, won the first nine frames of his match with Marcus Campbell before triumphing 10-1. O’Sullivan, a three-time winner of snooker’s most prestigious tournament, had little trouble overcoming Dominic Dale 10-2.
And Cheshire-based Murphy is relishing the prospect of his first-ever clash in Sheffield with the Rocket.
He said: “Next up is Ronnie and I am really looking forward to the opportunity of playing him at the World Championship. We’ve played each other before, but never at the Crucible and I’m sure it’s going to be special.
“I’ve often heard golfers say how the atmosphere is totally different when they are paired with Tiger Woods, as opposed to other players. And it’s a bit like that in snooker when you go head-to-head with Ronnie.
“He beat me just before Christmas in the Premier League final and I beat him to win the same event a year earlier. We always seem to have good matches.”
“I’ve been preparing by practising the aspects of my game that I know will have to be spot-on; long potting, break-building as well as a little bit of safety.
“But I feel my game is in good order, overall. I was very pleased to play so well against Marcus although I do feel the score-line flattered me a bit.”
For more of Shaun’s thoughts, please check out www.shaunmurphy.net. Shaun has re-launched the site and he has been heavily involved in the editorial content. The site is integrated with @magician147 on Twitter, so Shaun’s fans and snooker followers in general can interact with him fully through social media – and gain an added insight into events such as the World Championship.
Shaun added: “I want the site to be something that people return to again and again, so that’s why I’m planning to contribute frequently in the blog-style news section. I’m hoping that there will be some good conversations in the blog and, when time permits, I’ll look to respond to what others will hopefully be submitting.
“The site, as a whole, is a long-term project and social media is something I’m interested in. So, we’ll be looking to develop it as we go along and as we learn more about its capabilities.”
The site is managed by sports PR business Rushmer PR, in conjunction with Murphy’s advisor Brandon Parker.