Shaun Murphy into UK Championship quarter-final after ‘awful’ win over Ding Junhui

Shaun Murphy felt his UK Championship clash with Ding Junhui was ‘awful’ but helium doesn’t attraction arsenic helium won it 6-5 and is into the quarter-final.

The Magician volition instrumentality connected Barry Hawkins successful the past 8 aft helium edged retired Dave Gilbert by the aforesaid scoreline connected Wednesday afternoon.

Both Murphy and Ding struggled severely astatine times successful their contention and past shone spectacularly astatine others.

The Chinese superstar made 3 centuries, portion Murphy managed 1 and a important effort of 65 successful the decider aft Ding had won the erstwhile 2 frames with back-to-back tons.

Murphy had a large accidental successful the ninth framework but missed a elemental red, which was 1 of a fewer mistakes which was inactive bothering him contempt the win.

‘I conscionable thought, erstwhile you miss the balls I miss and marque the mistakes I made, you don’t really merit to win,’ Murphy told the BBC.

‘I consciousness a spot silly with the solemnisation astatine the end, it’s conscionable emotional, it conscionable comes out. I tried truthful hard, I couldn’t person fixed anymore. But if you marque those mistakes, you don’t merit to win.’

He added connected Eurosport: ‘It was awful. It was atrocious for me. I enjoyed the game, but it was truly scrappy.

‘I deliberation I was possibly blameworthy of making that excessively important. I was trying truthful hard, didn’t truly play with immoderate freedom. I made specified a mistake astatine 5-3, missing a sitter of a reddish to middle. It was perfectly awful. It’s conscionable a full deficiency of composure.’

Despite the struggles, though, the Englishman was evidently pleased and praised Ding for his efforts precocious successful the game.

‘I’m delighted,’ helium said. ‘I indispensable say, the mode Ding stood up to beryllium counted from 5-3, 100, different one-visit, I person to springiness him recognition for that.’

On the different array Hawkins got implicit the enactment against Gilbert successful a decider, needing to triumph 3 of the past 4 frames to bash so.

The Angry Farmer had a superb accidental to triumph the crippled 6-4 but missed the last greenish and the Hawk was stunned to beryllium fixed different opportunity.

‘More alleviation than anything,’ helium said. ‘I thought it was a beauteous decent crippled up until Dave missed the green, helium had it won determination 6-4, helium threw it distant really. I’m perfectly implicit the satellite to get done that successful the end, astir apt a spot lucky.’

A dejected Gilbert said: ‘With however atrocious I americium astatine this game, I deliberation I’ve done brilliantly to get 5 frames. I enjoyed it.

‘I request to spell location and benignant a batch of worldly out. I’ve got acold excessively overmuch going on. It’s conscionable different Dave Gilbert collapse, isn’t it. Good luck to Baz.’

Murphy and Hawkins conscionable for a spot successful the semi-finals connected Friday.

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