When Ronnie O’Sullivan and Shaun Murphy square off in the semi-finals of the 50th edition of the prestigious invitational tournament on Saturday afternoon at London’s Alexandra Palace, they will engage in combat for the first time at the Masters.
With victories over Murphy in the 2017 UK Championship final, the 2019 Shanghai Masters final, and his fellow Englishman finishing with a 10-8 victory in the 2017 Champion of Champions final, O’Sullivan leads the lifetime head-to-head series 14-4
The World Championship-winning pair has always had a distinct, intense personality clash despite being two of the most entertaining, outspoken, and attacking players on the professional circuit. Murphy has accused O’Sullivan of demeaning the sport on multiple occasions since their first encounter in the Premier League in 2005.
Murphy expressed his excitement ahead of the live competition on Eurosport and Discovery+ at 1pm. “We’ve performed elsewhere; we’ve never done so here. We’ve had many excellent games together over the years.We haven’t played in a long time, but this is undoubtedly a huge challenge. The hardest test—the harshest test, of course.
“I could be a real handful if I play like I did today.
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Prior to their semi-final match on Saturday, Murphy and O’Sullivan also discussed the state of the Alexandra Palace, which was the site of the PDC World Darts Championship during the holiday season. For a week, wasps and flies surrounded the players inside the arena.
With a wasp on his back, Judd Trump miraculously broke through for a century in his 6-5 quarterfinal loss to Ali Carter on Friday.
“There is filth everywhere. It’s chilly. After defeating Barry Hawkins 6-3 in the final eight, world No. 1 O’Sullivan remarked, “I have to wear my coat everywhere because it’s freezing.” “You pass by parking lots. Bins are present. To be honest, it simply makes me feel sick.”
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