Shaun Murphy has revealed a fellow professional and close friend of his has helped him get back on track with his snooker form.

The 2005 world champion has suffered a poor start to the 2018/19 campaign – enduring early exits in most of the competitions he has played in.

But Murphy managed to put his bad form to one side on Monday as he battled from behind against both Jimmy Robertson and Ding Junhui to reach the Champion of Champions semi-finals.

Murphy will know his next opponent by close of play today as the Group 4 matches draw to a close.

It is possible Murphy could come up against Ronnie O’Sullivan on Friday – the man he beat to win the tournament last year.

Shaun Murphy. Picture by Monique Limbos

But speaking to ITV4 after his comeback win over Ding Junhui on Monday night, Murphy revealed he has found motivation to get his snooker from back on track – via the help of Fergal O’Brien.

Murphy explained to presenter Jill Douglas and panelists Stephen Hendry and Neal Foulds that since moving to Dublin, he has found O’Brien’s determination to practice long hours a real indicator to improve his match sharpness.

He also added that O’Brien has helped his safety game improve over recent months.

Fergal O’Brien. Picture by Monique Limbos

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