Shaun Murphy started his 2024/25 WST season off with a flyer by reaching the final at the Shanghai Masters in July.
That was the 42-year-old’s first final for over a year, since his win in the Championship League in Leicester last June.
Murphy lost 11-5 to World No. 2 Judd Trump, who is looking to reach the top of the rankings for the first time since 2021.
Murphy will be looking to use that Shanghai momentum to boost his ranking points and The Magician believes that the Xi’an Grand Prix is the perfect opportunity to do just that.
The Magician continued his fine form by defeating Jamie Clarke at the tournament, but he still had some complaints about his ranking position.
Shaun Murphy looking to bounce back after ‘terrible season’
Murphy hit three centuries during his impressive 5-0 victory against Clarke and he spoke of the importance of the tournament for his ranking points afterwards.
Speaking to WST’s YouTube channel, Murphy said: “The rankings don’t tell lies and you know the end-of-season provisional list for me is pretty bleak reading at the moment.
“Although the Shanghai Masters is a massive, massive tournament. This event, because it carries more ranking points, is equally as big if not more important for me because I need to make some inroads on what was a terrible season last year and start climbing that ranking again.”
Murphy will play Dominic Dale in the third round of the tournament.
Murphy looking back to his best
Despite his ranking worries, Murphy looked imperious as he demolished Jamie Clark at the Xi’an Grand Prix.
The Magician hit breaks of 103, 76, 100, 84, and 128 and barely gave the Welshman a look-in as he booked his place in the next-round of the tournament.
If Murphy continues the form we’ve seen from him in the last two tournaments then his ranking issues will be behind him heading deeper into the season.