Shaun Murphy was left 'absolutely heartbroken' after Wu Yize held his nerve to be crowned world snooker champion following a thrilling final at the Crucible. The 22-year-old produced a match-winning break of 85 to win 18-17, becoming the second youngest champion of the modern era.
Murphy's Reaction
Murphy, who was aiming to set a new record for the longest gap between a player's first and second world titles, produced some wonderful breaks of his own with an 82, 65 and a 131. Speaking in his post-match press conference, he admitted he was proud of his performance and reiterated a point he had previously made to the BBC’s Hazel Irvine.
He said: “It was a great match, I thought we put on a great show. Wu is one of the most talented players I’ve ever seen and as I said to Hazel [Irvine] out there – I hate being right about things like this – I said after we played in China a few months ago that he would be world champion. I’m delighted for him, I’m absolutely heartbroken for me.”
Before he added: "I couldn’t have tried any harder for the whole tournament. I should have lost the first match and then once I found my stride I felt like I played really, really well for the whole tournament, including the final. Some of the clearances I made to keep myself in it in the penultimate frame and others to steal. The match had everything."
Wu's Triumph
While Murphy was left to reflect on falling short at the final hurdle, Wu expressed his joy and gratitude. He said: "I have been trying to go for this for ages. For the past few months, I have been living the same life. I am so happy that I could play well today."
He added: "My parents are the true champions. Since I made the decision to drop out of school, my dad has been by my side. My mum has also been going through a lot over the years. They are the source of my strength, I love them so much."
Murphy's Praise for Wu
The 2005 champion also revealed he always knew Wu would become a champion. He said: "I'd like to be the first to congratulate Wu Yize and his family and everyone around him for being a wonderful world champion. I hate being right - I said sometime earlier in the season when we had a great game out in China somewhere, I won that one but I came out afterwards and said that he would be world champion one day. It's just a real shame that it was today, but I couldn't have given it any more, I couldn't have tried harder. I played the best shots I could have played and I didn't get my chance. I couldn't do any more than that."
Murphy also reflected on his own performance in the deciding frame: "I guess people might say I was in first in the decider with a chance, I just lost position early on. But I didn’t really do anything wrong. I played the best shots I could play from where the ball’s finished. As a snooker player that’s really all you can do."
