SHAUN MURPHY believes he will “take some stopping” if he can repeat the dazzling display that destroyed Zhou Yuelong at the Betway UK Championship.

The Magician was in peerless form at the York Barbican in a 6-1 victory against the highly rated Chinese player, who scalped World Champion Stuart Bingham at the Champion of Champions earlier this month.

Such a shock was never on the cards against Murphy, who blasted his way to a 4-0 mid-session interval advantage with breaks of 63, 124, 100 and 73.

Yuelong showed glimpses of the talent that led Murphy afterwards to describe him as a “world champion in the making” when getting on the board with a break of 92 in the fifth frame.

But was a mere consolation against a motivated Murphy, who had been beaten by Yuelong’s World Cup winning partner, Yan Bingtao, at the Champions event in Coventry.

“I knew my job ahead of me,” Murphy, who took the UK title in 2008, said. “I know how good these lads are and I knew I had to play somewhere near my best to really have a chance.

“He has an extremely big future in this sport. If he keeps playing and applying himself, and doing the right things, I think he’s a world champion in the making. He’s very special, that boy.”

The world number four continued: “That is the standard now across the tour.

“Every now and then you get a match where the players play poorly or the conditions aren’t great for the players and that costs them with kicks but, when all things come together and both players play well, that’s the standard – and better - that’s produced in every event around the world on our tour.

“The standard of snooker is the best it has ever been, and long may it continue.”

Asked whether his performance had now set that standard for the other participants, Murphy added: “I don’t know. You would have to ask everyone else. I learned years ago that you don’t win tournaments in round one and two, but you can lose them of course.

“I am chuffed to still be here. I played well and that means nothing for my next game. I have got to regroup, go again and try my best.”

Having dropped just two frames in his opening two matches, with Melbourne’s Ashley Hugill seen off 6-1 in the first round, Murphy said: “Players in the old days used to get better as the tournament went on. I guess if you start as well as I have in the first two rounds it doesn’t leave much room for improvement.

“There were some shots that weren’t great, there was a few things I can work on. But I’d say if I play like that, I’ll take some stopping.”