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Shaun Murphy believes Wu Yize's journey and playing style serve as a beacon of inspiration. The Magician was denied a second Crucible crown by the Chinese sensation who followed in compatriot Zhao Xintong's footsteps from 12 months earlier in fulfilling his ambition.

Murphy holds nothing but respect for the fearless and accomplished play displayed by Yize. Simultaneously, the 42-year-old considered his background of hardship, sacrifice and dedication and cannot conceal his admiration. Yize relocated thousands of miles from his homeland to Sheffield with his father as a teenager to chase a snooker career and faced both financial strain and homesickness along the way.

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Murphy recognises the profound work ethic underpinning the talent and said: "You hear the stories that Wu came over here with his family, living in a room without any windows.

"I have nothing but admiration for him and the style of play, the way he goes about it. He's an absolute inspiration to everyone who wants to be a snooker player.

"Talent does nothing without hard work. You must give all the players from China absolute credit for the amount of graft and hard work they put in.

"I think some of the British players could do with taking a leaf out of their book and just realising that, if they think they're working hard, they're probably not.

"I think the two Yorkshire lads [Stan Moody and Liam Pullen] conducted themselves amazingly well and, of course, [Antoni] Kowalski as well. They've got great futures ahead of them, but the investment that the Chinese government has made into snooker for the last 10, 15 years, you can see the fruits of it now.

"We had Xintong last year, we've now got Wu this year. It's great for snooker now in China. It would be lovely to see that kind of investment mirrored in the UK.

"We're seeing now this wonderful talent coming through. I don't think Xintong and Wu and other players like that have got any shots that the other younger players haven't got. I think it's just about, your time will come. Wu's time was this week.

"When we played in China a few months ago, I said he would be world champion. A wonder kid pops up, but there's 20, 30 of them now, maybe there's more.

"The strength in depth on the Tour now is the best it's ever been by far and I think you can see that.

"He's not a typical 22-year-old newcomer who doesn't know the ropes. He's a winner. He might not have been experienced at the Crucible, but he is a tournament winner, came here as a seed, he's a top-16 player. He wasn't a typical first-time finalist.

"When I did it in 2005, I think I was 48th in the rankings and didn't know which end of the cue to hold. I said going into the match it would be extremely difficult. He's a proven winner.

"You could see how he held himself together at the end. Someone who's not been in that position before, not won a trophy, perhaps doesn't take that chance as clinically as he did."

Yize's swashbuckling style at the table bore a striking resemblance to a young Murphy when he claimed the Crucible crown 21 years ago, and he added: "He plays like a young man who's never lost a World Championship final or a big match like that. He plays without any battle scars. He's got no memories of it all going wrong.

"He was incredibly hard to defend against. He sort of picks the one that's the most aggressive and goes for it full-bloodedly.

"I think we've seen it's like a full circle now. The younger players are just playing more attacking, going for their shots, playing what they see, just attacking the game. Whereas the older generation are a little bit more defensive.

"That comes with experience and I think some of these other players will become a little bit more strategic as they get older. But listen, it's entertaining, it's exciting to watch. I like watching it.

"He and his countrymen are exciting, they are the future of the game. It is going to be up to the guys coming behind us now. My class of 98-99, the guys coming behind us to put up a fight."

Craig Swan has been reporting live from the Crucible for the Daily Record.