Players Championship 2023: Shaun Murphy dominates Ali Carter to take first title in three years

Shaun Murphy was in mesmerising form as he claimed the Players Championship and the £125,000 prize with a 10-4 victory over Ali Carter.

The 2005 World Champion produced a remarkable five centuries on the day to land the 10th title of his career at this level and his first since 2020.

The pattern continued in the opening frame of the evening when there was an early suggestion Murphy had a 147 maximum in mind but it all went awry as he blew a simple black to the bottom right pocket with just three reds remaining.

The break of 89 sealed the frame but he looked rather rueful and he evidently did have the eighth maximum break of his career in mind.

Not that he allowed it to upset his game, as he clocked up a fourth century of the final – and a record-extending 10th of the tournament – with a solid 103 to move 8-2 in front.

Carter was clearly lacking in confidence, but he was determined to extend the match as he suddenly rediscovered the rhythm that saw him excel this month when he won the German Masters, ending a break on 71 to reduce the deficit.

With the audience firmly behind him now, Carter claimed a nail-biting frame with a break of 82 to head into the mid-session interval trailing by four frames at 8-4. As it turned out, though, that’s as good as it would get for him.

When he is in this form, Murphy is difficult to stop and he simply dusted himself down and got back to business. He landed another heavy score as a splendid 88 clearance moved him to within one of the title.

In the final frame, Murphy fittingly racked up a fifth century of the final courtesy of a sublime 130 clearance to seal victory and cap a scintillating week of snooker by destroying the in-form Carter.

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