Shaun Murphy gobsmacked after World Open loss to player who switched from another sport

Shaun Murphy World Open

Shaun Murphy was knocked out by Joe O’Connor in the quarter-finals of the World Open (Image: Getty)

was completely bowled over by the performance of his World Open conqueror, Joe O’Connor.

O’Connor learned his trade as a pool player, becoming a junior champion before switching over to snooker. And he showed on Thursday that he can not only hang in there with the world’s leading players, but dismantle them when he is on form.

The 29-year-old destroyed Murphy 5-1 in their quarter-final match, putting together breaks of 135, 132 and 100 to make the semi-finals of a ranking tournament for only the fourth time. And Murphy could not speak highly enough of his performance.

“It was truly remarkable,” said the former world champion. “As I said to him after the game, that was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen from anyone, ever. I’ve been a pro since 1998 and I could count on one hand the amount of times somebody has played that well against me in any match, anywhere, of any kind.”

After the match, O’Connor confirmed that Murphy was classy in defeat. “He told me to go on and win it,” said the Leicester cueist.

“He said it was a phenomenal performance and I deserved to win. If I carry on like this, why can’t I go on and win it? I’ve got to try and keep it up, that’s the hard bit. Shaun’s been playing so well this week, so to shut him out like I did, potted nearly all of my long pots and to punish from them, it’s something to be proud of.”

Weide Cup World Open 2025 - Day 5

Joe O’Connor produced three century breaks en route to beating Shaun Murphy (Image: Getty)

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O’Connor will go into his World Open clash with Ali Carter on Friday hoping to take another step closer to his first ranking title. His one and only appearance in a ranking final came against Gary Wilson in the 2022 Scottish Open, where he lost 9-2.

In light of the momentum he has built up in a dominant win over Murphy, O’Connor now believes he can go all the way in Yushan.

“Coming into the tournament I knew I was playing quite well,” acknowledged the world No. 39. “I’m in decent form. But that’s where everything started to come together and I started to play close to where I know I can.

“I know if I can play well I can beat anyone on tour. I look forward to the next match, the next ball, that’s all you can do.”

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