David Gilbert, this year’s only debutant, continued to impress as he booked his place to today’s semi finals. He’s clearly enjoying the whole tournament setup and atmosphere and it inspires him. He’s a breath of fresh air. He’s like a kid at their first Christmas. There is something fundamentally genuine and refreshing about him that is endearing.

His opponent, Stephen Maguire wasn’t enjoying himself at all and it felt. I like Maguire, he’s also a genuine guy who says it as he sees it. He was deeply annoyed with himself out there. He would rather have been elsewhere, preferably far away, rather than put up the display he did.

David Gilbert 6-2 Stephen Maguire (WST report)

Friday 17 Jan 2020 04:51PM

David Gilbert said winning the Dafabet Masters would be “the best day of my life” after an emphatic 6-2 win over Stephen Maguire put him into the semi-finals.

Just five players have lifted the trophy at snooker’s biggest invitation event on their first appearance, and Gilbert is now two wins away from becoming the sixth. The Tamworth cueman is certainly playing well enough to go all the way; he has made two centuries and seven more breaks over 50 in the 12 frames he has won. He meets Kyren Wilson or Stuart Bingham at Alexandra Palace on Saturday evening.

Players to have won the Masters on their debut
1975 John Spencer (the first Masters)
1977 Doug Mountjoy 
1980 Terry Griffiths 
1989 Stephen Hendry 
2008 Mark Selby 

Age 38, Gilbert has played the best snooker of his life over the last two years, climbing into the top 16 for the first time. He reached the semi-finals of the World Championship last season and is now into the last four of a Triple Crown event for the second time. All that is missing from his snooker CV is a title.

He made a superb start today with a 144 total clearance in the opening frame – the new front runner for the £15,000 high break prize. The world number 11 took the next on the colours then made a 91 to lead 3-0.

Glasgow’s Maguire took the fourth, helped by a run of 57, and he had chances in the next two. But a weak safety on the last red cost him frame five and he missed the last red to a centre pocket in the sixth. Both times Gilbert cleared as he opened up a 5-1 lead.

Early in frame seven Gilbert accidentally touched a red with his finger while on a break of 16, owning up to the foul immediately. World number 15 Maguire made 94 to pull one back and raise his hopes of another fight back as he beat Neil Robertson 6-5 from 5-1 down in the first round.

The Scot had first chance in frame eight and made 46 before missing a tricky red along the top cushion. That proved his last shot as Gilbert compiled a match-winning 77 clearance.

“I felt comfortable out there,” said Gilbert. “The big crowd helps me to focus. I used to go the other way. I believe in myself now and I’m not inhibited by the scenario. I want to be out there against the best players. Getting into this event was never on my agenda in the past but now to have people cheering for me in an arena like this is what you dream of.

“A lot of people talk about when I’m going to win a tournament and if it happened here it would be the best day of my life. I’m just keeping the same attitude and frame of mind for each match and if I do that I can beat anyone.

“I won a couple of scrappy frames today. I used to lose those all of the time but now I can nick a few of them and I know how valuable they are. When Stephen came back to 5-2 he looked like he was flowing so I was pleased to finish it with a good break.”

Maguire, who was runner-up at the UK Championship last month, said: “I was pathetic. I tried my hardest but it got to the point where I didn’t want to be among the balls because I knew I wouldn’t do anything. I had no touch.

“I wasn’t worried at 3-0 but the frame I lost to go 4-1, I knew that was it, I was going home. And then I did the same again in the next frame. Maybe I can’t handle the pressure. I played the same against Neil Robertson, he just let me off the hook.

“I’m happy for Dave and I hope he wins it because he is the most decent guy among the players left.”

Ronnie was in the studio in the evening. During this tournament he’s been rather critical of Kyren Wilson. I believe that there is more frustration than anything else here. Kyren is a great guy, blessed with a fantastic temperament, but his technique isn’t on par with his other qualities. Ronnie believes that the should, and is capable, of make changes in that department.

Stuart Bingham was clearly upbeat and enjoying the loud Ally Pally atmosphere especially whilst he was coming back. Kyren not so, he looked a bit flat, particularly towards the end. It was a very long match, with a number of hard fought frames. In his postmatch, he said that he was fatigued. I believe him, he’s not one for making excuses and players should be allowed to simply tell it how it is.

Stuart Bingham 6-4 Kyren Wilson (WST report)

Saturday 18 Jan 2020 12:56AM

Stuart Bingham battled back from 4-1 down to beat world number eight Kyren Wilson 6-4 and reach the semi-finals of the Dafabet Masters at Alexandra Palace.

Essex cueman Bingham will now face debutant David Gilbert tomorrow evening for a place in the final.

It will be Bingham’s second appearance in the last four of the Masters, he also made the semis in 2016. However, this is also only the second time Bingham has progressed beyond the first round in his ten attempts.

The other semi-final will be contested between 2015 champion Shaun Murphy and Ali Carter, meaning that there is only one former winner left in the field.

It was 2018 finalist Wilson who got the better of the early stages this evening. He opened up proceedings with a sublime break of 139 to go 1-0 up. He then claimed a 41-minute second frame on the pink to double his lead.

Bingham pulled a frame back courtesy of a 69 break. However, Wilson won his second 41-minute frame of the evening to head into the mid-session interval 3-1 up.

The Warrior made it 4-1 in dramatic circumstances after Bingham missed a vital red on 65. Wilson stepped up to punish him with a break of 71 to steal on the black.

A crucial turning point came in the sixth frame, where Bingham doubled the final black to the middle to keep himself in touch at 4-2. He then froze out his opponent for two frames, with breaks of 82 and 75 to draw level at 4-4.

After edging 5-4 ahead, the decisive tenth frame came down to the final two colours. Bingham eventually deposited a long range pink before falling nicely on the black to secure a dramatic victory.

“I’m not sure how I turned it around. I just tried to enjoy myself out there. At 4-1, whatever I was trying to do just wasn’t working,” said Bingham. “With the double in the sixth frame, I felt like I needed to do something to change things about. It went in and it did change everything. I started to get going.

“It will be a tough match against David Gilbert. He turned it on this afternoon first frame with a 144 and that shows what level he is at.

“It can be pretty daunting here, even if you are a seasoned pro like myself. I’ve come here and frozen out there loads of times. He is letting his snooker do the talking and fair play to him, he is here on merit.

“It would mean a lot to get to the final. This tournament has a lot of history to it. With the trophy named after the late great Paul Hunter it would mean everything to get my hands on it.”

Wilson said: “I’m not going to be too hard on myself. Maybe just a bit of fatigue came in at the end so it’s just one of them really.

“I thought Stuart played really well from 4-2 down. He nicked the sixth frame by doubling the black and I think that gave him a bit of momentum. He had a one-visit straight after and that started to put me under pressure. I lost the momentum from there.”

Coverage:

The preview:

The mid-session:

The review:

At this stage, I would absolutely love to see Gilbert lifting the trophy tomorrow. However, from what we have seen this week, and on experience, I believe that Shaun Murphy is now a firm favourite.

 

First quarter finals day at Ally Pally and it provided another top seed exit and some serious controversy.

Neither match was high quality and, from what transpired in commentary, the players weren’t too happy with the table that had not been recovered.

Here are the reports on both matches.

Shaun Murphy 6-3 Joe Perry (WST report)

Thursday 16 Jan 2020 06:08PM

Shaun Murphy is the first player through to the 2020 Dafabet Masters semi-finals, after beating world number 16 Joe Perry 6-3.

The Magician will now face the winner of this evening’s second quarter-final between John Higgins and Ali Carter. It’s the fifth time that 2015 Masters winner Murphy has reached the last four at Alexandra Palace.

Prior to this season, 2005 World Champion Murphy’s position in the world’s top 16 had come under serious threat following a torrid 2018/19 campaign, where he suffered nine first round exits.

A renewed work ethic, aided by practice partner Fergal O’Brien, has helped ignite an emphatic revival in 2019/20. The 37-year-old is one of the players of the season so far, having reached three consecutive finals and won the China Championship.

Murphy is now guaranteed £60,000 for reaching the semis and remains in the hunt for the £250,000 top prize.

This afternoon Murphy took the opening frame courtesy of a run of 51. He then appeared to be in a good position to claim the second, after a contribution of 60. However, a counter clearance of 35 saw Perry clear to the black and steal to draw level at 1-1.

A break of 66 saw Murphy lead 2-1, before he added the fourth frame to head into the mid-session interval 3-1 ahead. When they returned Perry pegged his opponent back. However, Murphy edged further in front thanks to a sublime 120 run in the sixth to lead 4-2.

Murphy got himself within a frame of victory by snatching the eighth frame on the black and despite losing the ninth, he then completed the win to emerge a 6-3 victor.

Murphy said: “I watched the UK Championship before Christmas and how unstoppable Ding Junhui looked. Joe beat Ding in the first round here. That says to me I’m playing someone in the form of his life, not to be taken lightly and a former finalist here. I knew he wouldn’t be overawed by the occasion and that I had to play my best. For parts of that match I was somewhere close to my top form, but there were dips and I would like to see them go.

“It’s been a while since I got to the semis of this event. I’ve only won one match here since winning the tournament in 2015. It is an event I love playing in and have been looking forward to all over the Christmas period. It is great to come here having prepared hard and played well out there. It has been a great first two matches and I’m excited for the next one.”

Perry said: “I struggled out there today. No real reason, I felt comfortable and there weren’t nerves. I didn’t succumb to the pressure or anything like that. I felt good, I was just myself chasing the cue ball around the table.

“It is one of those things. There is an old saying that the balls don’t forgive you. If you have unforced errors and miss silly balls you tend to get punished by not only your opponent, but the snooker gods as well.”

Coverage:

The preview

The mid-session

The review

Ali Cater 6-3 John Higgins (WST report)

Friday 17 Jan 2020 01:08AM

Ali Carter emerged victorious in a gruelling clash with John Higgins 6-3 to clinch a place in the last four of the Dafabet Masters at Alexandra Palace in London.

The Captain is through to his first ever Masters semi-final, where he will do battle with 2015 champion Shaun Murphy.

Carter is taking full advantage of being in the tournament this week, given he is ranked 17^thin the world and gained entry to the event at the last moment after world number three Ronnie O’Sullivan pulled out.

Higgins, who has won this tournament on two occasions, will have to wait another year to claim his first Masters title since 2006.

Both players had to dig deep this evening in what proved to be a fragmented encounter. Higgins produced the match’s solitary half century prior to the mid-session, a run of 54. However, it was Carter who took a 3-1 advantage after just under two hours of play.

When they returned the action showed no signs of accelerating, with Carter edging a fiercely contested fifth frame in 38-minutes with a highest break of just 14.

Following that Higgins burst into life. A sublime run of 140, followed up by a contribution of 73 in the next pulled him within a frame at 4-3.

Carter then took a 47-minute eighth to move one from victory at 5-3. He got himself over the line with a break of 72.

“It was very tough. A great match to be involved in, but it was hard out there. The balls went scrappy, there were lots of long frames, but I’m delighted to win,” said Carter. “There is pride of performance, but I was pleased with the way I took the balls in the last frame, so I’m delighted.

“Shaun is a great player. We grew up together as juniors. It will be a fantastic match to be involved in. The venue feels very different this year, it is a lot more intimate and it is like a new tournament. I’m free rolling so I’m just enjoying it and glad to be here.”

Higgins said: “I was very poor tonight. I tried to blag it for a couple of frames by playing quickly. It was a poor game and it wasn’t enjoyable at all.

“I probably dragged Ali down. He was playing decent safety and keeping me tight. My safety was all over the place. It was reminiscent of my game with Yan Bingtao in the quarters of the UK Championship.”

Coverage:

The preview:

The mid-session:

The review:

The incident 

This happened in frame 8 during the match.

This was the situation on the table before Ali elected to play the yellow

As you can see in the short video below, Ali didn’t hit the yellow. The referee, Desislava Bozhilova correctly called a foul. However Ali immediately denied the foul, claiming he had hit the yellow. As you can see though, he didn’t and it wasn’t even that close.

You can see exactly what happened before and after in this footage from 3:50:30 .  Ali could see the pink, blue and brown without being hindered by any other ball. He chose to play the yellow because he wanted to play safe and this was the best choice. He was standing right behind the shot. I’m very surprised that he though he had hit that yellow. It was close but not that close. Desi on the other hand was standing on his left (right on the screen) and maybe didn’t have such a clear view. Ali was very assertive and she trusted him. She could have asked a replay though, and IMO she should have.

Both the ES and BBC commentators though reacted immediately. I’m not 100% sure if the marker, Ben Williams could hear them, or see the images, but if he did, why didn’t he intervene like Marcel Eckardt did a few weeks back?

I’m extremely uneasy with this incident, as is Hector Nunns who reacted on twitter.

Why indeed didn’t the Eurosport pundits bring the incident into the postmatch conversation? They did it when ROS hds fouled with the rest in his match vs Luo Honghao at the 2018 English Open, they showed the images to Mark Selby more recently when a foul had been called on Ronnie despite him hitting the ball on. Why didn’t they ask Ali about this? It’s puzzling and I can think of only one explanation, it’s not a pretty thought and I hope I’m wrong: they were 100% certain in both previous occurences I cite above that it was a genuine mistake, they had no problem to ask the player, but maybe they weren’t completely sure this time and feeling uneasy with Ali possible reaction?

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this was a match changer, like the the rest incident in the English Open could have been because Luo would have been back at the table, or like ROS foul that wasn’t one could have been as well because he felt compelled to play a different shot after that one. Ali would probably have won the match no matter what. But still …

Update: 

Apparently the question was brought in Ali’s postmatch and this was what he had to say (source SnookerHQ).

In his post-match press conference, Carter said: “If I haven’t hit that then I’m absolutely flabbergasted because I don’t know what’s happened there.”

“I was playing it full ball, the white’s going up the table, and it’s turned…anyone would tell you that I’d never try and gain an advantage doing that. That’s unbelievable.”

Yesterday was the last day of the first round at Alexandra Palace. One more “top seed” booked his place in the quarter finals, Kyren Wilson, whilst Stuart Bingham beat Mark Williams. Ronnie was in the studio for most of the day.

Kyren Wilson 6-2 Jack Lisowski

Wednesday 15 Jan 2020 04:57PM

Kyren Wilson came from 2-0 down to score a 6-2 win in the first round of the Dafabet Masters, beating Jack Lisowski who admitted he “lost the plot” after crucial errors in the early stages.

The match was briefly interrupted in the fifth frame when referee Ben Williams was stung by a wasp as he tried to remove the insect from the table. In the end it was Wilson who was buzzing as he booked a quarter-final place, while Lisowski winged his way out of Alexandra Palace.

World number eight Wilson reached the final here two years ago, losing to Mark Allen. The Kettering cueman has had a patchy season so far, reaching just one ranking event semi-final, but enjoys competing on the main stage and having jumped the first hurdle will be confident of another deep run at snooker’s biggest invitation event. He now meets Mark Williams or Stuart Bingham.

Breaks of 56 and 76 gave Lisowski the first two frames before Wilson pulled one back with a run of 66. The crucial fourth frame came down to the colours and Lisowski had a clear chance to take it, but played a loose positional shot from the blue, leaving himself a tricky pink with the rest, which he failed to convert. Wilson potted the pink then slotted the black along the baulk cushion to level at 2-2.

Runs of 40 and 68 helped Wilson to take the next two frames and he took charge of the seventh with a 67. Lisowski had a chance to clear but sportingly called a push shot on himself as he potted the penultimate red, trailing by 42 points. Wilson took advantage for 5-2 then wrapped up the match in the next with a break of 70.

“Jack started like a house on fire but the third and fourth frames were turning points and I settled down after that,” said 28-year-old Wilson. “After that I went from strength to strength. This venue amplifies pressure so when your opponent makes a mistake you have to believe it will hurt him. You have to be able to handle the occasion. After the interval I kept it tight and took my chances.”

Lisowski, who made his Masters debut last year and is yet to win a match in the event, said: “I made a good start but missed chances in the fourth frame and Kyren got stronger. I lost the plot after that and I was poor mentally. My safety wasn’t good. My touch just wasn’t there, perhaps because I put a new tip on my cue a few days ago. It wasn’t ideal preparation.”

Coverage:

The preview:

The mid-session:

The review:

As you can hear the pundits were extremely critical of Jack Lisowski’s display. It’s very rare that Ronnie is so harsh in his wording when assessing a player’s performance. From what transpired on social media, Hendry in the BBC studio was even harsher. Both in fact express a good deal of frustration at watching such a huge talent not being fulfilled. Ronnie suggested that Jack would benefit from working with someone like Alan McManus in order to improve his shot selection.

Here are some quotes (source Eurosport):

Eurosport experts Ronnie O’Sullivan and Jimmy White were less than impressed by Lisowski’s crumbling.

“It could have been his day, but again his temperament has let him down,” said O’Sullivan, a seven-time Masters champion. “He’s playing well, it’s lovely to watch…Kyren is blessed with a fantastic temperament, and Jack isn’t.

” To lose six frames on the bounce, you can’t do that. There’s something seriously wrong in your game, or in your form, whatever.”

White added: “He’s got great facilities. He practises with [Judd] Trump. Somewhere along the line he’s got to learn to play the right shots or try and be more comfortable when he’s playing…He’s not putting the proper effort into each shot, he’s not living the shot, he’s not learning from his mistakes. He’s a bit frustrating.

“There is a potential world-class player there. He could win tournaments on a regular basis, but he has to go back to the drawing board and work out [how] to get stronger in certain departments – and get focused, and learn.”

…

Ronnie O’Sullivan – who famously benefited from a link-up with veteran Ray Reardon – thinks Lisowski needs to ask another legendary player for his advice.

“If I was Jack Lisowski, the first person I’d get on the phone to would be somebody like Alan McManus, and go, ‘Look, will you come and be with me for the next 18 months, two years? I’m going to listen to you and try and incorporate that into [my] game.’ If he doesn’t do that, then you’re just going to keep getting great performances with very poor performances. I think someone like McManus could really benefit with Jack. He doesn’t need someone to tell him to practise…he needs someone to say, ‘There’s no value in that shot – even though you can get it. Let’s play it ten times – you potted it twice, so it’s a no-no.'”

Stuart Bingham 6-2  Mark Williams 

Wednesday 15 Jan 2020 10:42PM

Stuart Bingham secured a comfortable 6-2 defeat of Mark Williams to reach the quarter-finals of the Dafabet Masters at Alexandra Palace.

World number two Williams’ exit means that only two of the top eight seeds have made it through to the quarters – John Higgins and Kyren Wilson. The Welshman, a two-time winner of the event, joins Ding Junhui, Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Neil Robertson and Mark Allen in falling at the first hurdle.

Tonight’s win for Bingham marks only the second year that he has gone beyond the first round at the London event. The Englishman made the semi-finals back in 2016. Next up for Bingham this week is a meeting with Kyren Wilson for a place in the last four.

A break of 50 was enough to see Bingham secure a keenly contested opening frame this evening, but Williams restored parity by securing a 28-minute second to make it 1-1. They then traded frames to head into the mid-session locked together at 2-2.

After the interval Bingham took control of the encounter. The 2015 World Champion secured four frames on the bounce to charge to the line, compiling breaks of 76, 86 and 54 along the way.

“It was a bit of a slow start from both of us. As the match went on I grew more and more in confidence. Mark didn’t look like he turned up thankfully, but for myself it was a good win,” said 43-year-old Bingham. “The atmosphere was great and it was packed out. The arena is superb with all of the changes, it looks brilliant.

“You can’t help but look at the draw with a lot of the top players going out. It has opened up. Kyren Wilson up next will be a tough game, but I’ll be going home, practising and looking forward to it.

“We’ve had some good battles. He had a bit of a win streak against me. I put in a good performance to beat him at the UK Championship. If I can turn up and play a little bit better than that then I’ve got every chance.”

Williams said: “It wasn’t great. I missed a lot of easy balls. I enjoyed it out there, the venue was unbelievable. What Barry Hearn has done with it is fantastic. I never thought I’d play in an arena anywhere near the Wembley Conference Centre, but if it is possible that is even better. I hate giving him credit, so I hope he isn’t reading this interview.

“I was just poor. How I am number two in the world I don’t know. This wasn’t as bad as my performance at the UK Championship, but it wasn’t great.”

Coverage:

The preview:

The mid-session:

When Desi isn’t quite tall enough for the job, and Willo is getting naughty

Mark Williams, interviewed by the BBC admitted that his career could be at a crossroad, and said that he will re-assess the situation after the World Championship.

Quater Finals time … 

Here is the line-up

My predictions for the first round have been terribly wrong, so I will abstain this time. Stephen Maguire and Shaun Murphy are the two who impressed me most in the last 16. That’s all.

The “curse” is over… in the sixt match of round one at Ally Pally, the top seed won, as John Higgins beat Barry Hawkins. Reanne Evans was in the Eurosport studio and very sensibly had stated that there are no “shocks” at the Masters; those are the best 16 players in the World and anybody can beat anybody. There are results that go against most expectations but no shocks.

One of those “less expected” results came in the first match of the day, as Shaun Murphy beat Judd Trump by 6-3, despite Judd scoring three centuries. But, as they say, a century wins you just one frame, and Shaun was the better match player out there. Shaun used to say that he has no safety game, but this isn’t the case anymore. Since he’s moved to Dublin, he’s practicing with Fergal O’Brien and it shows. Judd’s attacking safeties yesterday were a bit sloppy, and more “attacking” than “safe” which is not something one can afford against a potter of Shaun’s ability.  Shaun took advantage and progressively took control of the match. You could see the doubts creep in Judds mind, and with them, the mistakes crept in his game as well.

Shaun Murphy 6-3 Judd Trump (WST report)

Tuesday 14 Jan 2020 05:06PM

Judd Trump’s hopes of defending his Dafabet Masters title were dashed in the first round at Alexandra Palace as he lost 6-3 to Shaun Murphy.

So far, each of the first five matches at snooker’s biggest invitation event have been won by the lower ranked player, and Trump follows Ding Junhui, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson and Mark Allen as early casualties. Murphy goes through to face Joe Perry in the quarter-finals on Thursday afternoon.

Today’s result is hardly a shock as Murphy himself is a Triple Crown winner and has a title under his belt this season having won the China Championship.

But it’s a significant blow to Trump’s top-dog status. The world number one enjoyed the best year of his career in 2019, winning the Masters, the World Championship and four other titles. He started 2020 with the perfect warm-up by winning a Championship League group last week, but Murphy looked the sharper player in the closing stages today.

Trump took the opening frame with a break of 128 then Murphy dominated the second and made a 71 to lead 2-1. Two more centuries from Trump, 116 and 119, put him 3-2 up.

Bristol’s Trump had first chance in frame six and made 47, then Murphy made a 77 clearance which shifted the momentum. A 52 clearance in the next gave world number ten Murphy the lead, and in frame eight he converted a superb long pot on the penultimate red and made 41 to lead 5-3. Runs of 34 and 47 in frame nine were enough to give him victory.

“Judd is a joy to watch and he made three great centuries early on,” said 37-year-old Murphy. “But those only give you one frame and getting to six first is the only statistic that matters. My safety was decent, I fed off his mistakes and made some vital clearances.

“I first came to this tournament at Wembley Conference Centre as a 12-year-old and sat there with my big bag of M&Ms wondering if I would ever get to play in it. Since my first time I have taken to it well. My wife says I’m the biggest show-off she knows and snooker’s just my outlet. I’m never happier than when I’m out there in front of everyone.”

Trump said: “I’m very disappointed although I don’t feel I played that badly. Shaun is a class player and he held himself together well. The sixth frame was important because if I had gone 4-2 up I would have been full of confidence.”

At the start of the evening match, neither player looked sharp. In his pre-match interview with Rachel (from ES) Barry Hawkins had appeared very nervous and even apprehensive of the match to come. He asmitted that he’s going through a period where he feels demotivated, and can’t bring himself to put the required work in. It showed. He was dreadful for most of the match. The balls went all over the place, same as you can see in clubs when amateurs have a knock. John, facing an opponent who was struggling badly and playing terrible, grew in confidence and he started playing  better and better.. Pride got Barry fighting towards the end, and he scored the only century of the match, but it was too little, too late. It’s not the first time that Barry goes through a bad spell. Last time, it transpired that he was facing serious off-the-table family related problems. Hopefully all will be well gain soon.

John Higgins 6-1 Barry Hawkins (WST report)

Tuesday 14 Jan 2020 11:12PM

John Higgins swept aside Barry Hawkins 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the Dafabet Masters at Alexandra Palace in London.

The Wizard of Wishaw produced sharp display, freezing out his opponent, who struggled apart from a solitary century in the sixth frame. The result sees Higgins enhance his head-to-head record against Hawkins and he now leads 8-3 in meetings on the professional circuit.

Scotland’s Higgins is competing in his 26^th consecutive Masters and has won the title on two occasions. However, the four-time World Champion hasn’t lifted the trophy at this event since his epic 10-9 final victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2006.

Higgins will see this as an opportunity to claim a first Masters win in 14 years, with all previous matches this week going against the player seeded in the top eight. So far Ding Junhui, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Mark Allen and Judd Trump have all fallen by the wayside.

This evening, breaks of 57, 53 and 74 helped Higgins to claim the opening three frames, before he took a tight fourth to lead 4-0 at the mid-session.

When they returned Higgins had established a 62-0 advantage in frame five. Hawkins battled back into the frame thanks to a run of 58, but he failed to get good position on the final black. He spurned two opportunities, before Higgins stepped in with a fine long range effort to lead 5-0.

Hawkins got a frame on the board with a century break of 101, but it was just a consolation with Higgins closing out the 6-1 win thanks to a break of 58. Next up Higgins face Ali Carter for a place in the semi-finals.

“To beat Barry 6-1 is brilliant. He didn’t really turn up tonight though and made it pretty easy for me. We have all been there and especially in an arena like that. Everything seems to get on top of you,” said 44-year-old Higgins.”It was a good atmosphere and more rowdy with everyone shouting for Barry to come back, what an arena it is to play in. It is absolutely fantastic and definitely rivals the Crucible one-table setup.

“I think everyone left in the tournament will feel they are in with a good chance of winning it. Being honest, at the start of the tournament people would have been tipping the likes of Ding, Judd Trump and Neil Robertson. With all the first five favourites going out it is incredible.

“It is always tough playing Ali. He is a great cueist and had a good win over Mark Selby. I’m calling him Denmark because of what happened with them getting a late call up to Euro 92 and winning it. He has nothing to lose and when that happens he is a really dangerous player.”

Hawkins said: “I don’t think I have been knuckling down enough. It is a bit of a vicious circle, because I know I need to get motivated to do well in these tournaments, but it isn’t there at the moment. When I go out there I just have no confidence at all because I haven’t worked hard enough.

“I need to have a good long look at myself. If I want to start doing well again and performing like a top 16 player I need to start getting more dedicated and putting the hours in.”

 

Day 2 at the 2020 brought an extraordinary comeback from Stephen Maguire in the afternoon and a magnificent display from the debutant David Gilbert. Both sent their top 8 seeded and former Masters Champions opponents home.

Maguire came back fro 4-0 and 5-1 down to beat Neil Robertson and, in the process, produced one of the most extraornary shots in the sport’s history.

Maguire 6-5 Neil Robertson (report by WST)

Monday 13 Jan 2020 06:07PM

Stephen Maguire made one of the best comebacks of his career as he recovered a 5-1 deficit to beat Neil Robertson 6-5 in the first round of the Dafabet Masters.

World number five Robertson failed to capitalise on chances in the closing stages as he became the third player seeded among the top eight to fall so far at Alexandra Palace, following the exits of Ding Junhui and Mark Selby on Sunday. Glasgow’s Maguire is through to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2015 and will face Mark Allen or David Gilbert next.

World number 15 Maguire is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career having lifted trophies at the Six Red World Championship and World Cup as well as reaching the final of the UK Championship. But even he must have though his hopes of a run this week were over when Robertson cruised into a 5-1 lead with top breaks of 76, 136 and 71.

Maguire sparked his fight back in frame seven with a run of 105. The Scot trailed 56-0 in frame eight, but battled his way back and eventually got the better of a safety battle on the yellow then cleared for 5-3.

Robertson had another match-winning chance in the ninth and made 40 before failing to split the pack of reds from the blue. Maguire punished him with a 65 clearance. And a break of 81 in the next from Maguire draw him level at 5-5.

First clear chance in the decider went to Robertson and he made 28 before missing a tricky black. Maguire’s match-winning 62 included a risky do-or-die pot on the green on 20 when it looked as if he had run out of position.

“It was a tough green I took on to keep the break going – but I wasn’t going out playing safe today. If it went in, I fancied dishing up. If it didn’t, I’d be going home,” said 38-year-old Maguire. “I’ve played a few 5-5s and I know funny things can happen. I just went for everything and managed to win.

“I never show any emotion, but I gave it the fist there and nearly uppercut myself in the chin with that punch. It was stupid really, it’s not me. But it just shows you winning means a lot.

“It has to be one of the best comebacks of my career. I haven’t done that from 4-0 down much – I had one against Mark Williams at the UK Championship a couple of years ago. But that is right up there.

“Neil was the better player and should have put me to bed 6-1 or 6-0 after the interval.  You don’t get these comebacks very often, so they’re special.”

Robertson said: “I was rusty because I hadn’t played a match for a while. I had chances, but played a couple of bad shots and got unlucky in splitting the pack at 5-3.”

Before the tournament, Robertson pledged to donate £5,000 plus an extra £100 for every century made during this week’s tournament to the WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue Organisation in light of the current bushfires.

Today he added: “A couple of other players have pledged more donations which I really appreciate. I have been really emotional following what’s happening, especially as it’s close to where my family live. My mind is back home and it puts a game of snooker into perspective, though I don’t want to make any excuses about today’s result.”

Here is the most extraordinary shot:

David Gilbert had promised himself to play with freedom and enjoy his first Masters appearance. He did just that … completely outplaying Mark Allen was the bonus result!

David Gilbert 6-1 Mark Allen (report by WST) 

Monday 13 Jan 2020 11:34PM

David Gilbert enjoyed a sensational Dafabet Masters debut, demolishing Mark Allen 6-1 to book his place in the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace.

Tamworth’s 38-year-old Gilbert has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent years to secure his place in the world’s top 16 and earn a maiden Masters spot.

He appeared at the World Championship as a seed last season after reaching the elite 16 for the first time. Gilbert went on a fairytale run to the Crucible semi-finals, where he was beaten 17-16 by John Higgins.

Defeat for 2018 Masters champion Allen means he is the fourth player seeded among the top eight to fall at the first hurdle, with all matches so far going to the lower ranked players. It comes after opening round defeats for Ding Junhui, Mark Selby and Neil Robertson.

Gilbert came flying out of the traps this evening. He fired in breaks of 77, 121 and 58 on his way to taking a clean sweep of the frames before the mid-session, where he led 4-0.

Allen pulled one back when they returned, but it was to no avail as Gilbert shot past the finishing line with breaks of 95 and 53 to secure a superb victory. Next up Gilbert faces Stephen Maguire.

“It is easily the best performance of my life. Mark Allen is an amazing player, it is Alexandra Palace and it doesn’t get any better than that,” said Gilbert. “I wanted it to go that way, but it is very rare I play like that, let alone in front of 2000 people. It is a dream start.

“We came down last night and watched Mark Selby and Ali Carter walk in from the Century Club, where we had dinner. It was a great atmosphere. While I was watching the Jester walk down, I just thought that this was the place I wanted to be. I tried to enjoy it, not stress and go for my shots. I don’t want to be a number anymore, I want to be a part of things like this. Hopefully I can build on that.

“I love Stephen as a player. I always thought when we were kids that he was the one  that would go on to win everything and he nearly has. I would swap with him in a heartbeat. I saw the end of his game earlier, I am sure he will be full of confidence like I am.”

Allen said: “With Dave on his debut here it can go one of two ways. You can feel inspired and start like he did, or you can feel the nerves and fall flat on your face, that was what I was hoping for but it didn’t happen. He played great, but there are a lot of questions to be asked about how I played.

“I felt very good out there, but just couldn’t get anything going at all. It was very poor performance. It is hard to pinpoint what it was, I felt good technically, just maybe I wasn’t quite strong enough mentally tonight.”

Ronnie was in the studio in the evening. He was full of praise for David Gilbert. David himself credited Steve Feeney for his successes over the last couple of years.

Despite the bitter defeat Mark Allen spent 20 minutes signing for the fans  in the arena after the match. Credits Mark!

This is the evening session mid-session:

and the evening session review:

So far none of the top 8 seeds have gone through the quarter finals, and none of the former Masters champions. The latter is sure to change today as Judd Trump will play Shaun Murphy. And so far my predictions have all gone badly wrong. I promise, if Ronnie enters the World, I will predict boldly that he will go out first round and never win it again! Who knows…

It was a day of “upsets” in Alexandra Palace yesterday, as both “underdogs” (sic Philip Studd) beat the upper seeds.

Ronnie was in the studio all day, and will be there for most of the week.

There is a new setup for the event, with a bar, and reserved seating for VIPs. The setup around the table is also different, and the players now sit in “formula 1” type of seats!

Overall it seems that those changes are appreciated are really add glamour to the event, which is good.

Anyway, here about the action …

The first match, Ding v Perry was very strange. Before the MSI Perry wasn’t playing well, he looked tense, Ding was outscoring him in all stats, he had a marvellous 135, up to now the only century of the event. But it was still 2-2 at the MSI. Actually, in my eyes at least, already then Ding’s body language wasn’t great. It reminded me of the Ding we saw early in the season. After the MSI, Perry started playing the way he can, very solid match play, and the match became very one sided. Ding had collapsed.

It’s bizarre because Ding looked in great spirit ahead of the event, if this interview (BBC) is anything to go by:

Masters 2020: Ding Junhui relaxed and ready for Alexandra Palace challenge

By Owen Phillips

BBC Sport

11 January 2020

…

Chinese superstar Ding Junhui says a carefree approach to his snooker is behind his impressive return to form.

World number nine Ding was at his imperious best as he won a third UK Championship title in December and he remains confident as he prepares to get the 2020 Masters under way on Sunday.

The 2011 Masters champion, who faces Joe Perry in the first round, told BBC Sport: “I was punishing myself.

…

Before winning his 14th ranking event at the end of 2019, Ding had not lifted a ranking title since 2017.

But a change in management just six weeks before the tournament in York, along with a new mindset and smarter practice regime, has seemingly had a revitalising effect.

“I was too hard on myself. and a snooker player shouldn’t do this,” said Ding, who is now working with Django Fung, the man who also manages world number one Judd Trump.

“I have learned to deal with defeat, failure and bad things. I need to forget it.”

Ding’s success earned him a fourth win in one of snooker’s ‘Triple Crown’ events. The World Championship – the sport’s other showpiece event in the ‘Big Three’ – still eludes him, but Ding feels he is in a good place to add to his tally at London’s Alexandra Palace this week.

Since beating Marco Fu 10-4 in the Masters final nine years ago, the 32-year-old has only twice gone beyond the first round in eight attempts.

The Sheffield-based player said he has improved his concentration and has been trying to make sure he is “better when having a bad day”.

Playing with a plan and dealing with pressure

“I am confident. I played well at the UK Championship, some of the best [snooker] of my career,” he added. “I had a great Christmas and New Year and I enjoy this tournament and would love to win it again.

“Now I have a plan in my practice. I never used to have. I have less time but more quality and more concentration – and always a plan.

“I am still improving. Sometimes I play too aggressive. I am still learning a bit with my game. I can be stronger to compare with Stephen Hendry or Ronnie O’Sullivan. There is space to go up.

“But I have more confidence to win games. It did not use to be like that. I would not look forward to playing the big tournaments where there was more pressure.”

Ding’s more relaxed stance means he can relish the chance to perform at the Masters.

“For snooker tournaments this is huge,” he added. “It’s a great venue for snooker fans – around 2,000 people. Everyone wants to be in the Masters. It’s a special tournament. It has a long history. The Worlds means everything but this is a huge tournament.”

But although he is eager not to feel the pressure, the weight of expectation in his homeland makes that somewhat difficult.

“Being Chinese everyone expects me to win. And after the UK Championship, they think I cannot lose any more,” he explained.

Interview by 5 Live snooker reporter Jamie Broughton

Yesterday, it seems that the old demons were back…

Joe Perry 6-3 Ding Junhui ( report by WST)

Sunday 12 Jan 2020 05:29PM

Joe Perry recorded a fine 6-3 defeat of Ding Junhui to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Dafabet Masters on the opening afternoon at Alexandra Palace in London.

The Gentleman is making his first appearance at the Masters since losing 10-7 in the 2017 final against Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Victory for 45-year-old Perry enhances his head-to-head record against Ding, but he still trails China’s number one 11-6 in their professional meetings. Next up he will face the winner of Tuesday’s first round clash between World Champion Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy.

Ding had come into this week having secured a fourth career Triple Crown title in December, defeating Stephen Maguire 10-6 in the UK Championship final.

This afternoon’s defeat for 2011 Masters winner Ding contributes to his already poor record at Alexandra Palace. He has now lost in the opening round in seven of the nine years since the event moved to Alexandra Palace in 2012.

Perry took a 25-minute opening frame this afternoon, before a sublime run of 135 saw Ding restore parity at 1-1.

Chatteris cueman Perry then regained his lead, but Ding made it 2-2 going into the mid-session interval.

When they returned, a break of 71 saw Perry edge 3-2 ahead. However, Ding once again drew level, compiling a 71 break of his own to make it 3-3.

From there it was Perry who took control and charged to the line. Contributions of 93 and 83 helped him to take three frames in a row and emerge a 6-3 victor.

Perry said: “The second half of the game was much better than the first. I felt good at the start, but then I missed a few easy balls and started thinking a bit too much. The interval came at the right time, because I felt like I was hanging on.

“He is one of the best players in the world and has been for a very long time. When he is on his game, as we saw in the UK Championship, he is pretty much unplayable. If you draw a top player like that and they are on their A-game you are up against it, but if they are missing the odd one or two you have to be there and take your chance.

“This tournament feels how it should. It is the absolute blue riband event on the circuit. You have the World Championship, but this is the showcase. It is the only event in London and the top 16 are here. I loved how there are supporters on sofas in front of the commentators now. It feels like the perfect venue.”

Ding said: “The match was a 50-50 one, but I didn’t take enough chances. I was losing position of the cue ball, trying to pot hard shots and missing every time.

“He did well today. Every time I missed, he took the chance and won the frames. I didn’t feel much pressure, but also didn’t quite have the concentration either. That is going to happen some days.”

Coverage:

The tournament and match preview:

The match review with Perry:

The evening match brought another upset. Mark Selby looked great at the Scottish Open, but apparently still struggles in the majors. He was pretty awful before the MSI, his highest break in the 30 something, and Carter without plmaying much better went 3-1 up. At the MSI, Selby was seen on the practice table with his good friend Bobby Lee. When they resumed, he won three frames in a row to lead 4-3. But then the match turned again, mistakes crept in in Selby’s game, Ali started playing well,  punished them and went on to win 6-4.

Ali Carter 6-4 Mark Selby (report by WST)

Monday 13 Jan 2020 12:55AM

Ali Carter defeated Mark Selby 6-4 in a pulsating Dafabet Masters opening round clash at Alexandra Palace in London.

Essex cueman Carter has never been beyond the quarter-final stage at the Masters, but will now compete in the last eight for a third time, when he faces either John Higgins or Barry Hawkins.

Carter earned his place in this week’s event by the narrowest of margins. Despite being ranked 17^th in the world, he qualified after Ronnie O’Sullivan withdrew from the tournament.

Selby has won the Masters on three occasions, only Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan have won more. However, in recent years the Jester from Leicester has struggled in the event. Since 2015 he has only won three matches at Alexandra Palace and has failed to go beyond the second round.

Carter imposed himself on proceedings in the early stages this evening. A typically gritty opening frame saw him come from requiring two snookers to steal on the final black.

The Captain then claimed the second frame to establish an early 2-0 advantage. Selby pulled one back, but it was Carter who took the final frame before the mid-session interval to lead 3-1.

There was a dramatic frame when they returned, in which Carter appeared to be in the ascendency, but he broke down on a run of 61. Selby then produced a superb clearance of 74 to snatch the frame on the black. Selby clenched his fist in celebration as he kept himself in contention at 3-2.

Runs of 56 and 94 from Selby then saw him take the lead for the first time in the tie at 4-3. However, Carter refused to wilt and restored parity with a fine break of 82. He then moved one from victory at 5-4 and didn’t hesitate at the finishing line, securing victory with a contribution of 68.

Afterwards Carter cited Selby’s celebration in the fifth frame as a motivating factor on his way to victory.

“It did fire me up, big time. I don’t like any of that. He was looking at all of his followers in the crowd and gave it the fist. That was a little knife in the heart,” said 40-year-old Carter. “I am delighted to win. The closer I got to the finishing line the more focussed I got and the easier I found it, so that is a good sign.

“I felt like I didn’t play well before the interval and I was 3-1 up. All of a sudden after the break I ran out of position and before I knew it I was 4-3 behind. I thought I might have missed the boat, but I dug in and I’m really pleased to win.”

World Snooker Tour@WeAreWST

“It did fire me up, big time”

Mark Selby fist pumped tonight.

It spurred @TheCaptain147 on to a 6-4 first round win #DafabetMasters

On his celebration following the fifth frame Selby said: “It was a big frame. If I was in that position and 3-1 up, I am sure he would have done it to me. It is a big tournament and you see it in other sports, so why not in snooker? It was nothing against Ali, I just knew that if I went 4-1 down I was massively up against it.

“The first frame was possibly a little turning point. I should have just potted the yellow and been 1-0 up, but after that the game never forgives you and it didn’t up until the interval. After that I felt really strong. At 4-3 up I had a blue into the pack and if I land on a ball I go 5-3 ahead and I think I win the match. After that I didn’t really get a chance.”

Coverage:

The match preview

The match mid-session

Ali’s post-match interview:

Finally WST announced that they will match Neil Robertson donation to the WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue

Sunday 12 Jan 2020 03:45PM

WST will match Neil Robertson’s contribution to the WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue Organisation, in light of the current bushfires.

Australia’s Robertson has kindly offered to donate £100 for each century made at this year’s Dafabet Masters by all players, as well as contributing an additional £5,000.

This is a fantastic gesture from Neil for an extremely important cause and we would like to add our support by matching his donation.

The thoughts of everyone at WST are with all of the people affected by these terrible bushfires.

This is a great gesture. Thank you WST