Shaun Murphy’s Masters foe is ‘one of the highest potential players I’ve ever seen’

Shaun Murphy is taking on ‘one of the highest potential players he’s ever seen’ at the Masters when he begins the defence of his title on Sunday.

The Magician was in brilliant form as he lifted the Paul Hunter Trophy at Alexandra Palace last year, beating Kyren Wilson 10-7 in the final.

He will now look to win the prestigious title for a third time, facing a debutant in his opener, but one that is likely to relish the big stage.

Wu Yize surged into the world’s top 16 by winning the International Championship earlier this season, downing John Higgins in the final after beating the likes of Judd Trump and Zhao Xintong en route to the showpiece.

The 22-year-old is not just a bright prospect anymore but one of the top players in the world and Murphy knows he has his hands full at Ally Pally.

They’ve played just once before, at this season’s Xi’an Grand Prix which Murphy won 5-4 in a contest full of huge breaks.

Wu produced efforts of 136, 87, 78 and 71 in defeat, while the Englishman made 140, 138, 94 and 78 to progress. It is fair to say that Murphy was impressed.

‘He’s just a wonderful player,’ Murphy told Metro. ‘I played him in a Chinese event this season and I narrowly beat him, but I came off saying he’s one of the highest potential players I’ve ever seen from any country.

‘He’s got such a way about him around the table. And now he’s a winner, of course. He’s won an event since we last played. Full of belief, full of self-confidence.

‘He’s one of the players who I think the other players enjoy watching. He’s got such a cavalier way about him. He’s so talented.’

Wu reminds Murphy of iconic snooker star

Murphy is not the first to make the comparison as Higgins did after the International Championship, but Wu reminds him of three-time Masters champion Paul Hunter, who tragically lost his life at 27 after a stunning run of success in the event.

‘He reminds me, in a way, of the late Paul Hunter, who obviously made the Masters his own,’ said Murphy. ‘Even in his technique, he holds the cue at the very end, which Paul did. He’s very, very reminiscent of Paul and of course, we know how good Paul was at the Masters.

‘I know that he will settle at some stage on Sunday. I just have to hope that I can keep him unsettled for as long as possible.’

Similarly to the Beckham of the Baize, Wu is nearly as good with a comb as he is with a cue.

‘I’m not sure what it is, but whatever that X-factor is, he’s got it. There’s no question about that,’ said the Magician. ‘And, of course, he’s got the best hair we’ve ever seen on tour. Not only has he got a great future, he has got the best barnet in the game, by some distance as well.’

‘I am playing the best snooker of my life right now‘

Murphy is ready for a test, but he also knows that he has been performing as well as anyone on the planet over the last year, consistently producing top class stuff.

‘I feel like I am playing the best snooker of my life right now,’ he said. ‘I’ve had moments in my life where I’ve peaked or turned it on at the right moment here or there, but I feel like I’ve been playing at a very high level for 12 months.

‘Earlier this year people were talking about me losing my top 16 spot and I might have to qualify for the Worlds and this, that, and the other.

‘I feel like I’ve turned the ship round a bit. It’s not happened on its own. The Masters doesn’t count on the rankings, obviously. So I’ve had to do a lot of work to reclaim my position at the top end of the game.

‘And I feel like I’m good for it. I’m in a totally different position than I was 12 months ago and I’m very grateful for that. I feel like I’m in a really good place at the moment.

‘It’s nice not to have the pressure. I’m in Hong Kong, I’m in Telford, I’m in Manchester, I’m going to be seeded at the Worlds. All of that pressure’s off now. Whereas this time last year I was bang in trouble.’

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