Shaun Murphy shows true colours with comments about snooker rival Mark Williams

Shaun Murphy showed his true colours by showering rival Mark Williams with praise before his crushing defeat to the Welshman at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. Williams swept aside Masters champion Murphy in a 6-1 annihilation on Wednesday.

The world No. 3 produced several spectacular pots in Jeddah, even shutting his eyes on occasion before making contact with the cue ball. Williams, who narrowly lost in last year's inaugural Saudi Arabia Masters final to Judd Trump, made breaks of 69, 74 and 62 to take a 4-1 lead. He then stretched his lead by winning a tight sixth frame on the black, before wrapping up proceedings with a match-sealing 102 - his 670th career century. It was exactly the type of performance that had led Murphy to laud the three-time world champion before their encounter.

Murphy's own tournament began positively in Jeddah on Tuesday, thanks to a 5-1 triumph over in-form Thai player Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, setting up his showdown with Williams after the Welsh icon defeated Yuan Sijun 5-3 in his opening fixture.

The Magician said of his opponent, Williams, before their meeting: "He's right up there, despite his very self-deprecating view on his career. Whether he likes it or not he's an all-time legend and on his day he still beats anybody."

Williams, who has often rejected comparisons to legends Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins, justified Murphy's comments with a brilliant first session against the Englishman, displaying his distinctive blend of delicate touch shots, pinpoint long-potting and tactical ingenuity. Williams, who reached the World Championship final this year at the age of 50, further bolstering his legendary status, swiftly took a 3-0 lead.

However, the snooker veteran was defeated by Elliot Slessor in Thursday's quarter-finals. Slessor clinched the most significant victory of his 12-year career with a nail-biting 6-5 win.

Slessor built a 5-2 lead with breaks of 62, 130 and 70 before Williams clawed one back with a 74. In the ninth frame, Slessor narrowly missed a tricky red to the top corner while on 60, allowing his opponent to snatch it on the black, before levelling the score at 5-5 with a 51 in the tenth frame.

The match culminated in a tense finish with both players missing opportunities, and it all came down to the colours. Williams suffered an unfortunate in-off when attempting safety, which Slessor capitalised on with a brilliant long yellow, before sinking challenging pots on green and brown to secure the win.

Now guaranteed a staggering £100,000 in prize money, the 31-year-old has advanced to the semi-finals, where he will face another former Crucible champion in Neil Robertson on Friday afternoon, following Robertson's 6-4 win over Ali Carter.