The two contenders that graced the Cardiff audience in the Welsh Open final went through hard fought deciders in each of their respective semi-final matches. They were both 5-4 down but overcame their opponents to claim their spots in the final Home Nation event of the season. Kyren Wilson and Shaun Murphy took to stage as many hoped to see a closely fought battle of the ages. Sadly, that will have to wait.
Breakdown
Murphy was strong throughout as he began his stampede with a 108 break. This was a result of a tricky cutback red to right centre for Wilson, despite a fine opening long pot. Frame 2 involved a few more safety shots, but a failed long pot attempt by Wilson left Murphy with the opportunity to make 84.
Wilson found himself with a chance in Frame 3 as he capitalised off a failed fluke from Murphy, but faltered at 52 as he missed a black while there were still 6 reds remaining. A 34 break from Murphy as well as a fantastic final pink resulted in an unexpected steal. Frame 4 followed a similar pattern as Wilson made 45 but was a little unfortunate in that he couldn’t develop any more reds. One 48 break later led to a battle on the final red, which Murphy was able to secure along with a 4-0 lead.
In Frame 5, a missed second red from Murphy left Wilson in among the balls. However, Wilson was only able to make 64 as he ran slightly wrong side of the blue. With 4 reds remaining, Murphy was able to get the score line to 64-27 down, requiring one snooker – which he got. A couple of safety errors from Wilson resulted in an extension of Murphy’s lead. Murphy followed this up with a 76 in Frame 6.
Frame 7 was all that Wilson was able to capture in the Welsh Open final as he used a couple of misses and errors from Murphy to initiate a clearance that won him his first (and only) frame. Murphy didn’t get phased however, as he shrugged off that frame by ending the session with a 134 to lead 7-1.
Run-of-the-ball was on Murphy’s side that night as the opening safety exchange between the players led to a fluke that resulted in another century of 102. Sadly, the story of Wilson’s match didn’t improve as he was in first yet broke down at 56 off a fairly easy red. With 7 reds still left on the table, Murphy made a 73 to close out the contest and sprint to whatever appointment he was trying to make that night.
Afterthoughts
It depends what kind of matches you prefer to watch, but I know there are those out there that don’t necessarily enjoy watching landslide victories. However, when the victor is playing as well as Murphy was on Sunday, you have to appreciate the form and quality that he brought to the table during the final. His counter-attacking was phenomenal and he truly punished the mistakes made by his opponent. All while coming off a late night semi-final decider against Bingtao.
This win effectively cements Murphy as one of the season’s top performers. His first Home Nations trophy and second ranking title this season takes his tally up to 9 ranking wins. One more win would tie him with Jimmy White. Murphy has also made a further two finals and semi-finals during the season.
Furthermore, his form since the New Year has seemed to spike as he made the semi-finals of the Masters and German Masters. He’s come up against and beaten Trump in their past two encounters which has also occurred since this time. If this can continue, Trump and Robertson may have someone to worry about for the remainder of the 2019/20 campaign.
On the other hand, Wilson may have not had the day he was hoping for although, he handled the loss professionally and lightly as he realised the remarkable opposition he was up against. Oddly enough, Wilson potted some tricky shots throughout the match; his misses often rose from the simpler pots.
It’s a shame that his last Home Nations final ended in a similar result but he can take pride in the week that he had in Cardiff. His opening frame leading to the fifth 147 this season, as well as victories over Ding, Robertson and O’Sullivan along the way display a rising progression for The Warrior. I know we’ll be seeing more of him in the later stages of tournaments.
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