Shaun Murphy

Bio

In 2005 Shaun Murphy became the second-youngest player to win the World Championship aged 22 and only the third qualifier to triumph at the Crucible Theatre.

The Englishman has since gone on to become one of 11 players to have completed the career ‘triple crown’ with victories at the UK Championship (2008) and Masters (2015).

He is one of only seven players to have compiled five or more maximum breaks during the course of his career and in 2014 became the first player to compile three 147s during a single calendar year.

In 2023, he joined Ronnie O’Sullivan and Neil Robertson as only the third player to have won all three Players Series tournaments (World Grand Prix, Players Championship and Tour Championship) during the course of their careers.

Murphy also reached a career-high world ranking of number three in 2007, a position that he retained for three years.

In 2019 he became only the second player after John Parrott to record a 10-0 whitewash at the televised stages of the World Championship in Sheffield.

Early Career

Having started to play snooker at the age of 8, Murphy made rapid progress in the game, compiling his first century break within two years and securing a £5,000 per year sponsorship agreement with Dr Martens.

He first turned professional for a single season in 1998 aged just 15, regaining his position in 2001 having topped the Challenge Tour Order of Merit with two event victories. During this season he claimed his biggest title to date at the Masters qualifying event, going on to defeat Marco Fu at Wembley before losing to Stephen Hendry in the last 16.

In 2004 he reached his first ranking event semi-final at the British Open, losing 6-0 to John Higgins.

World Champion

Murphy first qualified for the Crucible in 2002 and 2003, losing in the opening round to former world champions Stephen Hendry and Ken Doherty respectively.

In 2005 however, he would defeat Chris Small, John Higgins and Peter Ebdon to become only the third qualifier at the time to reach the final. There he would recover a 10-6 deficit against Welshman Matthew Stevens to win 18-16 and become world champion at the age of just 22.

Within two years Murphy would climb to as high as third in the world, claiming his second ranking event title at the 2007 Malta Cup and reaching his second World Championship semi-final during the same year, narrowly losing to Mark Selby.

During the 2008/9 season Murphy claimed the second leg of the career triple crown, defeating Marco Fu 10-9 to win the UK Championship in Telford. He also made it through to the final of the World Championship for the second time, this time losing 18-9 to John Higgins.

Further ranking success was achieved with victories at the 2011 Players Tour Championship Grand Finals and 2014 World Open during the subsequent five years, as he also reached his second UK Championship final in 2012, losing 10-6 to Mark Selby.

He also enjoyed further success at minor ranking events, claiming four titles including a hat-trick of European Tour events in 2014.

Triple Crown

In pursuit of snooker’s career triple crown Murphy reached his first Masters final in 2012, losing to Australia’s Neil Robertson at the Alexandra Palace in London.

A semi-finalist during each of the following two years, 2015 was to prove his year however, as he defeated Mark Selby, Stephen Maguire and Mark Allen to again reach the title match, this time thrashing Robertson 10-2 to become champion and win each of the big three events at least once.

Later in the year Murphy also reached the final of the German Masters and Paul Hunter Classic, as well as his third World Championship final, losing narrowly to Stuart Bingham 18-15.

Recent Career

Murphy has continued to enjoy success on the World Snooker Tour, consistently retaining a position inside of the world’s top 16 throughout the 2010s.

In 2017 he claimed the Champion of Champions invitational final for the first time with a 10-8 victory against Ronnie O’Sullivan at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena.

Following a run of six straight ranking final defeats from 2017-2019, he ended that run with a 10-9 success against Mark Williams at the 2019 China Championship. He would go on to later claim the Welsh Open title with a resounding 9-1 victory against Kyren Wilson, marking the first time in his career that he had won more than one ranking title during the same campaign.

In 2021, Murphy reached his fourth Crucible final, following victories against Mark Davis, Yan Bingtao, Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson, ultimately losing out in his bid for a second world title 18-15 to Mark Selby.

Murphy ended a three-year wait for a world ranking title at the 2023 Players Championship following a 10-4 defeat of Ali Carter in Wolverhampton. Having made a record 11 century breaks en route to victory, he would subsequently go on to add the Tour Championship title just weeks later with a 10-7 win against Kyren Wilson at the Bonus Arena in Hull.

Off-table

Married to Elaine, the couple have a son together and moved to Dublin, Ireland in 2018.

Murphy also served as a director of the WPBSA between 2017-2019.

Career Honours

WST Ranking Event Titles (12)

• 2023/24: Championship League
• 2022/23: Players Championship, Tour Championship
• 2019/20: China Championship, Welsh Open
• 2016/17: Gibraltar Open
• 2015/16: World Grand Prix
• 2013/14: World Open
• 2010/11: Players Tour Championship Grand Finals
• 2008/09: UK Championship
• 2006/07: Malta Cup
• 2004/05: World Championship

WST Minor-Ranking Event Titles (4)

• 2014/15: Ruhr Open, Bulgarian Open
• 2013/14: Gdynia Open
• 2010/11: Brugge Open

Professional Non-Ranking Event Titles (7)

• 2017/18: Champion of Champions
• 2014/15: Masters
• 2011/12: Brazil Masters
• 2010/11: Wuxi Classic
• 2009/10: Premier League
• 2007/08: Malta Cup
• 2000/01: Masters Qualifying Event