‘He is so bloody good’ – Shaun Murphy bows out of UK Championship ‘proud’ after Mark Selby defeat in semi-finals
‘What a way to finish’ – Selby wracks up 127 clearance to seal 6-3 victory over Murphy
Video credit: TNT Sports
Shaun Murphy said he was “proud” of his performance in defeat to Mark Selby, who was “so bloody good” in their UK Championship semi-final.Cut adrift at 4-1 down at one stage, Murphy battled back to 4-3 but couldn’t press home his advantage and Selby landed a mammoth 127-0 victory in the final frame at York Barbican.
Murphy said it was a match played at the “highest level” and felt he did little wrong.
“I’ve been playing well all year and I came here full of confidence and in good form and I think I played well all week,” he told TNT Sports.
“I thought I played really nice snooker tonight and I am proud of how I played and competed and mixed it with Mark, but he is so bloody good isn’t he? I thought it was a great match, I just ran out of frames.
“I don’t remember making six individual frame-losing mistakes, it was a really good match played to the highest level, and at this level, right at the top of the iceberg, the difference between winning and losing is almost nothing.”
Selby won the Champion of Champions on home turf in Leicester in November but this is the first ranking final he’s reached this season after twice being bounced in the semi-final.He’ll face off against world No. 1 Judd Trump on Sunday live on TNT Sports and discovery+ aiming to complete a hat-trick of UK Championship titles.
‘Did a tour of the lip of the pocket’ – Selby sees red drop in middle pocket after wriggling in jaws
Video credit: TNT Sports
“I felt good, even before the match I felt confident,” Selby said. “The only thing that stops me sometimes when I’m feeling like that is if I get in my own way and try too hard. But towards the end of the match from 4-3 I thought ‘I’ve not really done too much wrong from 4-1 to 4-3,’ I still felt confident if I had a chance and I finished the match off well.
“I feel good about my game, winning a couple of weeks ago in Leicester obviously helped for the confidence so I came here confident, still doesn’t mean you’re going to do well, but it’s a good place to be going into the tournament.
On the final, Selby said: “I won’t get too ahead of myself, it’s just another game. You’ve got to just try and focus, play the balls and if I let myself play like I have been doing I’ll have a great chance.
“I’m just taking it one game at a time, while I’m in a good place and the game’s good I’ll take it while I can. At some point I know it’s going to go back the other way, so just taking it one day at a time.”
Trump beat Neil Robertson 6-3 in the first semi-final.
The world No. 1 is seeking his first ranking title of the season.
Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the UK Championship, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
