England’s Shaun Murphy hails China’s Ding Junhui after losing semi-final: 2012 Welsh Open
Harlow’s Shaun Murphy played up to the mark in the 2012 Welsh Open at the Newport Centre arena in Newport, Wales to reach the semi-final stage against the Chinese, Ding Junhui.
Despite his hard struggle to make it into the penultimate clash, Murphy was unable to surge into the final match as he lost to Junhui by the score line of 6-2 in the semis. After losing to the Chinese, Murphy hailed him for his impressive run in the match.
The semi-final clash between Murphy and Junhui was totally dominated by the Wuxi potter. The Star of the East grabbed the overall lead in the very first frame. At the end of first session, the 29-year-old was trailing the Chinese by 1-3 despite pocketing
a fine clearance of 126 in the second frame. Junhui, on the other hand, was in a strong position after claiming three frames with the help of some stunning knocks of 91 and 71.
Murphy pulled his socks in the second session and tried to give a head-up to Junhui with his cracking 90-point break in the fifth frame. However, the very frame proved to be last for Murphy as the Comeback Kid, Junhui swept the table in the next three frames
to win the match. Murphy appreciated Junhui’s game play in his post match conversation.
The Magician spoke to the World Snooker after his match, “When you are playing the best in the world, you have to hit them hard, and I didn't do that today. I only finished two frames off in one visit and that's not good enough, I didn't take enough of my
chances.”
The former World Snooker Champion added, “Ding is very hard to read but he's a lovely lad and a credit to the game. Looking at the big picture, I'm moving up the rankings and the signs are good for the rest of the season.”
Murphy will be heading home while Junhui will face the winner of second semi-final clash between Mark Selby and Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final encounter of 2012 Welsh Open at the Newport Centre arena. The 24-year-old has played both and knows their strong
points but still he needs to work hard to cope with either of them.
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