Shaun Murphy post-match actions praised by Judd Trump after Northern Ireland Open mauling

was full of praise for as he recalled what the 42-year-old said to him after bowing out of the Northern Ireland Open. Murphy was subjected to a 5-1 hammering by Trump, who will face Elliot Slessor in the semi-finals on Saturday evening.

Trump battled his way to a 2-1 lead over Murphy before rattling off breaks of 128 and 125 to put himself in full control. He went on to win the next frame to wrap up the match and send his opponent packing on the back of a heavy loss.

The two players were seen conversing at the table after the end of the match, with Trump revealing that Murphy had some kind words for him. He said it was nice to hear praise from the former world champion in spite of the disappointment he was facing.

"Shaun said some nice words at the end about how well I'm playing and how consistent I've been," said Trump. "It is nice to get recognition from your peers. You know it doesn't come lightly if they say it."

It did not mark the first time Murphy had been hailed for good sportsmanship over the last few weeks. At the Wuhan Open, he showed his class by applauding Xiao Guodong when he produced three straight century breaks during their quarter-final clash.

, but Neil Robertson was quick to defend him on social media for what he described as a 'classy' gesture.

"I think applauding three centuries in a row is a classy touch," wrote Robertson on X, formerly Twitter. "Not many have done it, especially on a main TV table. Long have the days gone where you give an edge to your opponent.

"I remember Steve Davis clapping when Andy Hicks made three centuries in a row against him on TV in the '90s. Nothing to see here apart from classy sportsmanship from Shaun as always."

Murphy later took aim at his detractors by telling them to 'find a hobby' and insisted he was not alone in clapping his opponents when they do something worthy of recognition.

"Some of the comments I got on social media last week on clips of me applauding Xiao Guodong from my seat after watching him make three centuries on the bounce," Murphy told .

"Some of the criticism and abuse I got for that and what that means for my psychology, people telling me I'm too soft and that's not the way to behave. Everyone's entitled to an opinion, but all I was doing was applauding somebody's brilliance. That's the world we're living in."