Both players won four out of five group games, Murphy finishing with a 4-3 win over Ding Junhui, and Fu beating Stuart Bingham by the same score, but Murphy finished top of the group on frame difference.
"I think (Ding's win) is very significant for the sport, but we won't see just how significant for a few years when there are a number of new, talented Chinese players coming through, " said one Quality Control.