Shaun Murphy ousts Dominic Dale to set up Mark Allen clash – 2011 Shanghai Masters
Former 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy has cruised into the second round of the 2011 Shanghai Masters tournament, as he defeated the Spaceman, Dominic Dale, by frame score of 5-4 in a best-of-nine frame first round match on Tuesday.
It was a mesmerising performance by the Magician, Shaun Murphy, as he was down by 1-4 before he battled back to register a 5-4 win over his Welsh opponent. For Dale, it was a nightmare.
The 39-year-old, Dale, who currently holds the 28th spot in the world rankings, started off in a straightforward fashion by firing in a magnificent 128 century break to draw the first blood 1-0. Dale also could have won the following
frame but he missed a simple black ball letting his opponent level the score-line at 1-1.
Though Murphy won the second frame, he soon found himself 3-1 down as he failed to utilise the chances. The fifth frame also fell for Dale as he fortunately fluked a brown ball in it which allowed him to clear the table.
The match was almost through at that point as Dale only needed one more frame to win before he was stunned by Murphy who clawed his way back and won four frames in a row to seal an impressive 5-4 win.
Murphy shared his feeling with the media afterwards, he said, “At 4-1 down it would have been easy to give up and stop trying, but this is a long way to come and I had to give it 100 per cent. I've come here to try my best and to win. We both had a lot of
chances. After the interval Dominic missed a lot of balls and I just took more chances than he did.”
A disappointed Dale on the other hand also shared his thoughts with the media. He stated, “I've always been good at winning from behind, ever since my junior days. You always get another chance, unless it's the last frame. I always look forward and never
behind.”
Shaun Murphy will not face the Pistol, Mark Allen, in the next round and it is certainly going to be a promising match.
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