Murphy is aiming for his second world title after his sensational triumph in 2005, having lost finals in 2015 to Stuart Bingham and in 2021 to Mark Selby. He now gets his third chance from Sunday to repeat his success from 21 years ago.
In the semi-final, he beat John Higgins 17-15, having started the session two behind and at one point trailing 15-13.
'I was nervous'
"I knew I had to start the session well. Before that, I just couldn't get ahead of John," a relieved Murphy explained after the match.
"After the first session, I went straight back to the practice table. I hadn't been in this situation with a table at the Crucible for five years – and I was nervous. Of course, I was happy, but I was also tense. After the first session, I played much better."
Shaun Murphy opens with two century breaks
Murphy kept improving - and in the final session, he produced his best snooker. The Englishman started with two superb century breaks - 132 and 127 - to immediately level.
Higgins, who hadn't scored a point until then, responded strongly, taking the next frame with some smaller breaks and excellent tactical play. Murphy had a chance for a comeback but made a costly error on yellow, hitting a red instead. Higgins, under immense pressure, made an 88 to restore his two-frame lead before the interval.
'What a man'
After the match, Murphy paid full respect to Higgins. "What a player, what a guy, what a man. If I'm even half as good when I'm in my fifties, I'd be extremely proud of myself," he told TNT Sports.
Murphy closed the gap in the 29th frame with his third century break of the session, before a 78 brought him level again. The 31st frame was a real battle, with Higgins showing nerves in the penultimate frame as he missed a straightforward black. Murphy needed two attempts but, after another Higgins mistake, secured the frame.
Murphy shows greater nerve
The final frame had plenty of drama: Higgins seemed in control, but after a break of 50, he missed the black off the spot. Murphy clawed back 35 points, but also showed nerves on the last red. After a safety error from the Scot, the 'Magician' got another chance and this time made it count.
His relief was obvious. After Higgins congratulated him on his performance, he raised his fist to the crowd. The anticipation for the final is huge, as he made clear after the match.
"I'm not going to say it's just another match. It's not. It's the final, it means so much to me. I'll give it everything I've got."
Higgins, as always, showed great sportsmanship after the match. "Of course it's disappointing. I'm just disappointed with my own performance. Shaun was simply fantastic in the final session. In the end, he was just too good, and he deserves respect for that. He deserved the win because he potted everything."