Shaun Murphy has admitted that it was a "privilege" to play in front of a packed house at the Tempodrom earlier today as he booked his place in the German Masters final.
More than 2,500 spectators watched on inside the famous arena in Berlin as Murphy, winner of the London Masters last month, prevailed 6-4 against Liang Wenbo to book his place in tomorrow's final against either Mark Selby or Stephen Maguire.
Speaking after the tightly-contested match which saw him relinquish a three-frame lead to trail at one stage, the Englishman is quoted by Yahoo! as saying: "I've got a lot of respect for Liang as a snooker player, he plays some great shots and very inventive shots.
"The crowd like him and he's a bit of a character. He wasn't frightened of me or the occasion, and on another day he would have won. It has been a privilege to watch snooker grow at this venue - there were 2,500 die hard fans out there today.
"When it goes down to one table it becomes the best snooker arena on the tour. You can hear and taste the atmosphere - your senses are on fire."
Selby and Maguire meet in the tournament's other semi-final this evening.
