Dominic Dale produced a stunning result in the last 32 of the Xi’an Grand Prix on Wednesday, downing Shaun Murphy 5-2 and showing there is plenty of life left in him at 52 years old, although he says retirement is not far away.
It was a remarkable turnaround for Murphy in the brand new ranking event as he was in sparkling form on Tuesday to thrash Jamie Clarke 5-0 with three centuries along the way.
Dale had shown he was in good nick himself, though, by beating Noppon Saengkham in the previous round and kept up the strong form against the Magician.
Murphy actually made two more centuries against the Spaceman but they were the only frames he won and breaks of 96, 58 and 53 along the way were enough for the Welshman to book a spot in the last 16.
The veteran is continuing to get good results after a really encouraging last season which ended with him qualifying for the Crucible for the first time in 10 years.
However, he declared after the match that he does not intend to continue playing after this season as injuries make the game too difficult.
‘This is definitely my last season, I get a lot of aches and pains in my shoulder, and inflammation in my fingers,’ he said. ‘It’s time to retire. It’s very difficult after 30 years to keep preparing for tournaments and playing matches, and having an opponent who is trying to take money out of your pocket. I’ll enjoy this season as much as I can.
‘I was supposed to fly home tomorrow and I had even packed my bags, so I’ll need to change my flight and unpack now!’
Dale will have the chance to continue this unlikely run in Xi’an when he takes on Daniel Wells in the last 16 after he edged out Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. It will be a match both will see as a great chance to reach the quarter-finals.
Murphy had been thrilled with his performance against Clarke in the previous round, saying: ‘I’ve got no idea where that came from. No idea what happened there. I suppose that shows there’s a bit of life in the old dog yet.
‘I celebrated my 42nd birthday last week, there’s still a bit of life in there. Delighted to play that game and if I can carry that form on, who knows how far I can go?’
Already booking spots in the last 16 earlier on Wednesday were the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Williams, Mark Allen, Barry Hawkins and teenager Gong Chenzhi.
The 17-year-old shocked Tom Ford in the first round and followed that up with a fine victory over Si Jiahui in the last 32 to book a clash with Matt Selt.
O’Sullivan will face Hossein Vafaei in the last 16, Trump meets the man who beat him at the Crucible this year Jak Jones, Hawkins and Allen face each other and Williams plays Stuart Bingham or Xu Si.
Vafaei reached the last 16 without picking up his cue on Wednesday as opponent Graeme Dott was forced to withdraw due to medical reasons.
Xi'an Grand Prix last 16
Kyren Wilson vs Jimmy Robertson
Mark Williams vs Xu Si
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Hossein Vafaei
Gong Chenzhi vs Matt Selt
Judd Trump vs Jak Jones
Dave Gilbert vs Mark Selby
Dominic Dale vs Daniel Wells
Barry Hawkins vs Mark Allen
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