Ronnie O'Sullivan names two reasons behind Shaun Murphy's Masters resurgence

Today at 04:39 AM

Ronnie O’Sullivan felt Shaun Murphy benefited from the influences of his partner Jo and his mentor Peter Ebdon on his way to the Masters title on Sunday.

Murphy was brilliant throughout the tournament at Alexandra Palace and lifted the trophy after beating world champion Kyren Wilson 10-7 in the final.

The Magician downed Gary Wilson, Neil Robertson and Mark Allen on his way to the final, making a 147 against the Pistol in the semis as he produced some of his best stuff.

The 42-year-old then controlled the final, leading throughout, and winning the Masters for the second time in his career, 10 years after the first.

O’Sullivan was thoroughly impressed and credited both Murphy’s partner Jo Rochell and former world champ Ebdon as being important forces behind the success.

‘He’s played great all week, deserves his victory, played fantastic,’ O’Sullivan said on Eurosport. ‘You look at the breaks, scored very, very heavy.

‘I think Peter has obviously done great for Shaun and he’ll fancy his chances at the World Championship now because he’s a big time player, got bottle, got a big game but I also think in your private life it’s important.

‘He seems very settled now with this girl, you see her with him at a lot of tournaments getting the balls out for him and it’s nice to see that she’s supporting everything he does. If you’re happy off the table it tends to overspill onto the match table, so things are great for him at the moment.’

On the addition of Ebdon to the Murphy camp, the Rocket said: ‘As a player you have a weakness and if you can team up with someone that can address that weakness or at least improve it, you notice them improvements when you’re in big match competition then you gain that bit of confidence.

‘I think Peter has instilled a little bit of that into him and made him realise how important that is and how it can turn matches.

‘That’s what Peter was great at. He wasn’t the most talented player but you would have to dig him off the table. Mentally he was in it from the first shot to the last shot. Having that laser focus from start to finish is so important.’

Murphy certainly agrees with O’Sullivan, posting a message of thanks to both on social media.

‘It’s not just about what I do in the table, it’s people behind the scenes that help me stay grounded and focussed,’ Murphy wrote on Instagram.

‘A huge thank you to my friend and mentor, Peter Ebdon for making me believe that winning is still in my bones.

‘And of course my other half @jorochellmusic for putting up with me.’

Murphy will look to continue his impressive form at the German Masters in Berlin next week, taking on Liam Graham in his opening game on Monday night in Berlin.

The Masters champ said of his week ahead: ‘No time to rest, want to get back on the practice table, keep my game in good shape, I feel like I’ve hit some really good form, I want to keep it there, keep the peddle down, keep going for it.

‘Off to Berlin on Sunday for the German Masters, so no rest for the wicked.’