World number one Judd Trump blitzed to 6-0 demolition of Johnstone’s Paint Masters champion Shaun Murphy at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford.
It was an evening of total dominance for Trump, who scored 524 points to Murphy’s 40. The Ace in the Pack took just one hour and 26 minutes to complete the win, averaging 18 seconds per shot.
The devastating victory sees him extend his winning streak over Murphy to their last seven matches. The Ace in the Pack now leads the head-to-head standings 18-9. Next up Trump will face either John Higgins or Xiao Guodong in last four.
Trump has landed silverware at the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters this season, as well the UK Championship. Ahead of this event, he had already amassed £1,375,600 in prize money for the season.
Murphy can take solace from securing a vital opening round win over Barry Hawkins. That has secured him his qualification for the final stages of the World Championship, which was under threat for much of the season.
Trump produced a break building masterclass, crafting runs of 77, 101, 65, 66 and 55 on his way to the quickfire win. The century run moves Trump to 89 centuries for the season and takes him closer to hunting down the target of 100, which would come with a £100,000 bonus.
“Shaun has been a different animal this season, so when you beat him you take more credit than maybe you used to. He is an amazing player and to beat anyone 6-0 at this level is incredibly hard,” said 30-time ranking event winner Trump.
“He didn’t do a lot wrong. The first frame was incredibly important. He missed a couple of balls in that and got punished. I was full of confidence, he was struggling a little bit and everything was going in for me.
“You just want to carry on when you are playing like that. You are in the zone. I felt like I was playing slow and taking my time but when I came off the table my shot time was quite quick.
“I’ve been consistent all season. I’ve put myself in position in most tournaments I’ve played in. It is nice to know that form is still there coming into the final straight. I know my game is good enough to win any tournament but it is good to back that up for a whole season. Whoever comes through it will be a tough semi-final though.”