Shaun Murphy appreciated the class of Barry Hawkins with an admiring applause as he was demolished in a Tour Championship clash.
Hawkins delivered a masterclass that left Murphy trailing 7-1 as they headed into the evening session.
Hawkins went on to clinch the final three frames, resulting in a staggering 10-1 rout.
In an impressive display, Hawkins amassed five centuries in just seven frames, utterly dominating Murphy in the first half of their first-round match before securing his triumph later that night.
The 45-year-old has now moved into the quarter-finals, set to unfold later this week.
The Magician found himself second best throughout the afternoon session, yet he graciously stood to applaud his opponent at one point.
He was undeniably impressed by Hawkins’ performance, just like everyone else watching.
Alongside his impressive five centuries, Hawkins potted an astonishing 222 balls compared to Murphy’s 50, racking up 785 points against Murphy’s 176, all while maintaining an impressive pot success rate of 95 per cent.
The Hawk seized control after Murphy managed to take the third frame to narrow the scoreline to 2-1.
However, Hawkins humbly insisted afterwards that he wasn’t taking his lead for granted.
The first round of the Tour Championship is a best of 19 frames, offering Murphy a faint glimmer of hope to mount a comeback.
“The match is not over yet, so I won’t get too carried away,” Hawkins told ITV.
“I can’t ask for much more than that in that first session.”
When the match resumed in the evening, Murphy sportingly called a foul against himself which cost him the ninth frame.
Hawkins duly took the next two with minimal fuss to secure an early finish.
Murphy said: “It’s not the first time this season, when I have come off a match having lost and not felt I have done that much wrong.
“I have known Barry for 35 years and that’s one of the best sessions of snooker I have seen him play. He would have been ahead of anyone this afternoon. I made some mistakes, but he was unplayable.”
A challenging quarter-final showdown with Judd Trump now awaits Hawkins, as every match in the tournament unfolds in a best-of-19-frames format.
Hawkins will surely be eager to establish another commanding lead against Trump.
This tournament marks the final stage before players set their sights on The Crucible for the World Championship.
Murphy’s heavy defeat is somewhat uncharacteristic, given his impressive list of accolades.
Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry raised concerns over Murphy’s current form.
He said: “The last two tournaments we’ve seen Shaun he’s been beat 6-0 and 10-1.
“It’s hard to forget about those. He’s got the World Championship coming up, he’s got to really regroup and get that confidence back somehow.”
His surprise victory at the World Championship in 2005 made history, as he became only the third qualifier to win the title, joining the ranks of legends Alex Higgins and Terry Griffiths.
Since then, he has reached the World Championship final three more times, in 2009, 2015, and 2021.
With twelve ranking titles to his name, including the UK Championship in 2009, he stands tenth on the all-time list of ranking tournament victories.
He has also claimed twelve non-ranking tournaments, among them the 2015 Masters, which completed his illustrious career Triple Crown.
If Murphy hopes to add to the solitary world title he clinched two decades ago, he will be determined to refine his break-off.
The 42-year-old recently shared his thoughts on the shot he dislikes the most.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Murphy said: “It’s snooker’s most played shot and my least favourite. The break-off. It’s the most played shot, isn’t it?
“Every single frame starts off with the break-off, and aren’t there so many different varieties?
“There’s so much in this shot. It’s the first shot, but it could also be your last. And people come up to me and always say, ‘How can you not get the break-off right every single time?’
“Well, it’s a very complex shot and there’s a lot going on at the break-off. You’ll have heard at pro level us talk about conditions and how those conditions affect certain shots.
“There’s hardly a shot in snooker that is affected more by conditions than the break-off.
