Shaun Murphy heartbroken as he repeats comment to Hazel Irvine | Other | Sport

Shaun Murphy was left devastated after Wu Yize kept his composure to win the world snooker championship in a historic final at the Crucible. The 22-year-old produced a match-winning break of 85 to win 18-17 to become the second youngest champion of the modern era and scoop the £500K prize money.

Murphy, who had been aiming to set a new record for the longest gap between a player’s first and second world titles, produced some wonderful breaks of his own with an 82, 65 and a 131. And speaking in his post-match press conference, Murphy admitted he was proud of his performance and reiterated a point he had previously made to the BBC’s Hazel Irvine.

He said: “It was a great match, I thought we put on a great show. Wu is one of the most talented players I’ve ever seen and as I said to Hazel [Irvine] out there – I hate being right about things like this – I said after we played in China a few months ago that he would be world champion. I’m delighted for him, I’m absolutely heartbroken for me.”

Before he added:”I couldn’t have tried any harder for the whole tournament,’ he said. “I should have lost the first match and then once I found my stride I felt like I played really, really well for the whole tournament, including the final.

“Some of the clearances I made to keep myself in it in the penultimate frame and others to steal. The match had everything.

“I guess people might say I was in first in the decider with a chance, I just lost position early on. But I didn’t really do anything wrong. I played the best shots I could play from where the ball’s finished. As a snooker player that’s really all you can do.”

Murphy also revealed he always knew Wu would become a champion, saying: “I’d like to be the first to congratulate Wu Yize and his family and everyone around him for being a wonderful world champion.

“I hate being right – I said sometime earlier in the season when we had a great game out in China somewhere, I won that one but I came out afterwards and said that he would be world champion one day.

“It’s just a real shame that it was today, but I couldn’t have given it any more, I couldn’t have tried harder. I played the best shots I could have played and I didn’t get my chance. I couldn’t do any more than that.”

But while Murphy was left to reflect on falling short at the final hurdle, Wu said: “I have been trying to go for this for ages.

“For the past few months, I have been living the same life. I am so happy that I could play well today.”

Wu’s victory completed a remarkable story that started when he arrived the UK six years ago with his father, sharing a bed in a windowless flat in Sheffield as he tried to carve out a career as a professional player.

My parents are the true champions,” he said. “Since I made the decision to drop out of school, my dad has been by my side.

“My mum has also been going through a lot over the years. They are the source of my strength, I love them so much.”