Shaun Murphy shrugged off a hectic travel schedule as he looks to win the Paul Hunter Classic in Germany this week. The former world champion was beaten in the final of the China Championship last week in Guangzhou by Luca Brecel, something he labels as a ‘missed opportunity’. Murphy then faced a testing schedule to get to Furth for his next tournament, needing four flights in two days to get from China to Germany, via Dubai and England.
The 2005 Crucible champion is not concerned by the busy travel schedule, insisting it is all part of his ‘dream job’ but he is keen to make up for defeat to the Belgian Brecel in China. “I don’t mind the travelling and I feel fine,” said world number five Murphy. “Being a pro snooker player is my dream job and flying around the world is part of that – I enjoy it. “I had a good run in China and now this is a new tournament with a trophy there for someone to win. I’m not here to make the numbers up. The more matches you play, the sharper you get, and I scored heavily today. “Losing the final to Luca was an opportunity missed, because the chances to win ranking titles don’t come around that often. But I’ve got another chance to win one this week.”
Murphy will face Zhao Xintong in the last-16 on Sunday after an impressive day’s work on Friday. He quickly shrugged off any suggestions of jetlag, beating Adam Stefanow 4-2, Sam Baird 4-1 and Ken Doherty 4-0 whilst knocking in a century and nine more breaks over 50 in his three matches.
Paul Hunter Classic odds available at Dafabet.