“Some people might say he isn’t as sharp, others might say he is fresh. All this talk about an eighth World Championship. What a position to be in, some might say he has done it the right way and kept himself fresh.

“I’ve been playing well for a season or two. I’ve been running into superheroes playing unbelievable snooker.

“It is a test of perseverance, it is about mental toughness – can you keep going? With this event, the Tour Championship and World Championship to come. It is a great time to be hitting form.”

Seven-time world champion O’Sullivan, who has said a return to tournament-winning form would be the greatest achievement of his career, has a 14-4 career winning record over Murphy.

“I always prepare well. I know people question if I practise enough. Everyone has done that since I was a kid. They seem to think I just turn up,” said O’Sullivan, who lost 4-0 in his last meeting with Murphy, at the Riyadh Season Championship in November.

“I prepare harder than probably any other player and I work harder. I think people just assume I only need to get out of bed and pot balls. That isn’t the case.”

World number one Judd Trump also moved into the last 16 with a 5-2 victory over Jackson Page, while reigning world champion Zhao Xintong beat Sam Craigie 5-1.

Stuart Bingham and Jack Lisowski missed out on chances to move in the world’s top 16 and qualify automatically for the World Championship, losing 5-4 and 5-1 to Wu Yize and Mark Allen respectively.

Masters champion Kyren Wilson defeated Allan Taylor 5-1, while Hossein Vafaei came back from 2-0 down to beat Mark Williams 5-2 and set up a meeting with Zhang Anda, who triumphed 5-2 against Xiao Guodong.