Shaun Murphy reveals he ‘spent hours getting a massage’ ahead of his epic match against Judd Trump at UK Championship

Shaun Murphy has revealed he “spent hours getting a massage” ahead of his epic match with Judd Trump in the last 16 of the UK Championship.

He will play Hossein Vafaei or Jack Lisowski in the quarter-finals in York.

“I usually have this massage gun, it’s a tour essential, but I haven’t brought it with me,” Murphy told Eurosport. “So I jumped in a taxi and found a place that had them in stock, ready to go. They were the hardest thing to find in York for sale.

“We got a taxi straight to the shop and picked up a few other essentials. I spent hours this morning getting a massage.

“There will be a lot of preparation to try and get me able to play in the next round.”

The match was a high-quality affair throughout with brilliant safety play and break building from both players.

Murphy says he was “over the moon” to win and treated the final three frames like they were all deciders.

“I can’t believe that,” he said. “I was dead and buried at 5-3 against someone of Judd’s class. He plays so well, shots you can’t defend against. He’s so hard to keep out.

“I was fully ready to give the loser’s speech at 6-3 and say, ‘I haven’t played too badly there, he was just better’.

“Then the next few frames took more of a traditional pattern. I got in first and felt good so it was weird.”

‘I didn’t do much wrong’ – Trump

Trump’s chances of winning his first UK Championship title since 2011 were put on hold for another 12 months as he couldn’t find a way over the line.

He had two chances in the final frame, but ran out of position straight away with his first opportunity and missed a red which allowed Murphy back in.

The world No. 3 says it was a “great battle” but the better player came out on top.

“I didn’t do much wrong,” added Trump. “I had a couple of little chances in the final frame. I thought I was going to cannon the ball a little thicker on the first red and the last red you’ve got to go for it really.

“It was the only tough ball on the table and if that goes in I’ve got a great chance of clearing up. I couldn’t have done anything a lot different.”

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