Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson booked their spots in the quarter-finals as the 2025 Masters launched with a bang on Sunday.
Robertson first produced a compelling comeback from 5-1 behind to crush the hopes of John Higgins in a deciding frame in the tournament’s opening encounter.
The Australian only learned of his involvement in this year’s Masters draw a few days ago, having been called up as a late replacement for Ronnie O’Sullivan who withdrew.
It looked like the lack of preparation time was going to prove costly, but the 42 year-old released the shackles when at the brink of defeat.
He dumped a stunned Higgins out of the competition by making breaks of 118, 80, 63, and 57 to win the concluding five frames of the affair.
“I don’t think Stephen Hendry is going to give me too much stick about that one,” two-time former Masters champion Neil Robertson quipped afterwards.
“It was an unbelievable match, I didn’t do a lot wrong really. John was playing incredibly well for 5-1, and he didn’t really do anything wrong.”
“I played at my absolute best. I don’t know if he tried to hold for the black off the red in the middle, but apart from that, he really did nothing wrong.
“I’m just so happy I could take my chance with Ronnie [O’Sullivan] dropping out and give the crowd something to cheer about today.
“I had time to reflect on the first half of the season. It has been a really good season so far, but my target for the second half of the season is to bring my practice game and my talent.
“I don’t think many people have seen exactly what I can do, and I think that match there shows how well I can actually play.”
Neil Robertson will face Shaun Murphy in the quarter-finals later this week after the latter prevailed over Gary Wilson with a 6-3 scoreline.
A few unforced errors from Wilson – making his second Masters appearance but his first at the Alexandra Palace – helped an efficient Murphy establish a 4-0 interval lead.
Wilson put pressure on the 2015 champion after the break by winning three frames on the spin, but a century contribution from the Magician stopped the rot.
The 42 year-old then took the ninth frame as well to safely progress to the next round of the prestigious invitational.
“I’ve got to be honest. After the interval, I didn’t feel very safe,” Shaun Murphy said in his post-match interview with Rob Walker.
“But Gary came out and probably played like he’d got nothing to lose after the first four frames. He played magnificently well.”
“At 4-3, I was very, very worried. But I feel really proud the way I stood up and won that penultimate frame with a century. These are big matches, I’m delighted to win.
“It’s one of those tough matches, because I’m expected to win I think. I’ve got the experience, but Gary Wilson is a multiple ranking event winner.
“What a tough match for a first round, I thought he conducted himself brilliantly out here. His first time in Alexandra Palace.
“The crowd were unbelievable, it was just fantastic. I’m delighted to get through, and I can watch everyone else twitch from the studio now.
“We’ve been coming here now since 2012 – it’s a very, very special place. This year means so much, we’ve lost so many greats in the last six months.
“Fifty years of the Masters, in probably the best venue in the country. It’s been brilliant, you’ve been brilliant, and I’ve been six out of ten.”
On Monday, the 2025 Masters continues with two more first-round fixtures to look forward to in London.
The afternoon game sees Mark Williams and Ding Junhui clash in arguably the tie of the round, while Mark Selby encounters Ali Carter in the evening match.
The players this week are competing for the Paul Hunter Trophy and a record top prize of £350,000.
Featured photo credit: WST
