The 2021 German Masters last 64 round started yesterday. There was only one “shock” of sorts as Kyren Wilson, who had lead by 3-0, was beaten 5-4 by Jak Jones.
Shaun Murphy coasted to a 5-1 defeat of Ian Burns in the final round of BetVictor German Masters qualifying in Milton Keynes.
The Magician has already enjoyed success this week, having notched up the sixth 147 break of his career in his first round match. Murphy whitewashed China’s Chen Zifan on that occasion, meaning it has been a straightforward week for the 2005 World Champion, dropping just a single frame.
Murphy fired in breaks of 117, 68, 55 and 113 on his way to this afternoon’s emphatic win. He will now go on to the final stages which will be held from 27th to 31st January.
Tour Champion Stephen Maguire battled back from 3-1 down to edge out Scottish compatriot Alan McManus 5-4 in a thrilling contest.
Breaks of 55 and 61 had helped 1994 Masters champion McManus to seize his early 3-1 lead. However, Maguire composed runs of 108, 82 and 55 in consecutive frames to move one from victory at 4-3. McManus forced the decider, but it was Maguire who took it to progress.
Chinese number one Ding Junhui blitzed his way to the final stages with a 5-0 whitewash defeat of Ashley Carty. The UK Champion made contributions of 51 and 65 on his way to the win.
Dominic Dale whitewashed fellow Welshman Jamie Jones 5-0, while Graeme Dott defeated Leo Fernandez by a 5-1 scoreline.
Shaun Murphy’s 113 was a maximum attempt; he missed the black after the 15th red.
I was impressed by Stephen Maguire. He has so far endured a rather disastrous season. He trailed by 3-1 at the MSI. He stayed composed, patient and actually competed with Alan in the safety department.
Ding didn’t play that well really, he mainly capitalised on his opponent numerous mistakes.
Kaçper Filippiak 5-1 demolition of Luo Honghao surprised me. I know that Luo is struggling this season, but so is Kaçper as well.
Mark Davis had an excellent win over Xiao Guodong. This was probably a much better match than the ones shown on the ES stream. They scored eight breaks over 50 between them. Xiao lead 4-2 only for “Dark Mavis” to win three on the trot to take the match.
Defending champion Judd Trump took just 54 minutes to beat Peter Lines 5-0 and qualify for the final stages of the BetVictor German Masters.
Trump beat Neil Robertson 9-6 in the final in Berlin last season
World number one Trump knocked in breaks of 103, 107, 71 and 69 in a quickfire victory to reach the last 32. The main event will run from January 27 to 31 next year.
Jak Jones continued his fine recent form with a surprise 5-4 defeat of world number five Kyren Wilson. Welshman Jones reached the quarter-finals of a ranking event for the first time in his career at last month’s Matchroom.Live English Open and is now two wins away from matching that run.
From 3-0 down, world number 91 Jones took four frames in a row with top runs of 87 and 63. Wilson made it 4-4 with a 59 clearance, but Jones took control of the decider with a break of 60 before winning it on the colours.
Barry Hawkins top scored with 101 in a 5-2 defeat of Jimmy White while China’s Liang Wenbo made a 102 in a 5-0 whitewash of Aaron Hill. Amateur Michael White came from 4-3 down to edge out Elliot Slessor 5-4, taking the last two frames on the colours.
Judd Trump was massively aided by his opponent as Peter Lines was missing about everything he attempted by a very long way. Don’t get me wrong, Judd played well, but he wasn’t challenged at all.
Kyren Wilson lost his rhythm completely in his match against Jak Jones. That match was the last to finish. Jak had an AST of 31.5 sec. It’s not a tactic, he’s always played that way, even when I first saw him play at the SWSA when he was 14 or 15. It’s his natural pace and he certainly can score heavily when in the balls. Kyren looked good in the first part of the match, then, after the MSI, he started missing balls he would normally never miss and Jak duly took advantage. My feeling was that Kyren’s concentration was gone.
I’m happy for Michael White beating Elliot Slessor, for more reasons than one. For Michael, who isn’t yet 30 and has so much talent, to be relegated is a crying shame and I hope he gets whatever help and support he might need to get back where he belongs, on the main tour.
6 thoughts on “2021 German Masters Qualifiers – Day 4”
What is the next tournament Ronnie O’Sullivan is competing in.. Is he entering the Northern Irish 1 this coming week..? x
Yes he has, and will play tomorrow evening. Somthing you would know already if you were reading this blog … 😉
Luo Honghao was awful – another player who might drop off the tour at the end of the season. Most of the results were unsurprising. Shaun Murphy missed a golden chance to make a second maximum. I’m sure it won’t be long before that happens, or even two maximums in the same match (which very nearly did happen).
Murphy did make two 147s in the same afternoon in an exhibition tournament in Budapest. The crowd went deliroius…
I think Tian Pengfei almost did 3 in consective frames whilst practicing in the STAR Academy. If I remember, he missed the last red.
Not long ago people were mocking the idea that there could be 20 maximums in a season. It’s very unlikely to happen at present, but in the future I’m not so sure.
I doubt it. They play for a living. I can’t remember a maximum that did not include some risky shot at some stage. Usually to stay on the black, whilst there is an easier shot – on pink or blue – available to them. Most players will not take such a risk unless the frame is already safe.
Shaun Murphy coasted to a 5-1 defeat of Ian Burns in the final round of BetVictor German Masters qualifying in Milton Keynes.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
What is the next tournament Ronnie O’Sullivan is competing in.. Is he entering the Northern Irish 1 this coming week..? x
Yes he has, and will play tomorrow evening. Somthing you would know already if you were reading this blog … 😉
Luo Honghao was awful – another player who might drop off the tour at the end of the season. Most of the results were unsurprising. Shaun Murphy missed a golden chance to make a second maximum. I’m sure it won’t be long before that happens, or even two maximums in the same match (which very nearly did happen).
Murphy did make two 147s in the same afternoon in an exhibition tournament in Budapest. The crowd went deliroius…
I think Tian Pengfei almost did 3 in consective frames whilst practicing in the STAR Academy. If I remember, he missed the last red.
Not long ago people were mocking the idea that there could be 20 maximums in a season. It’s very unlikely to happen at present, but in the future I’m not so sure.
I doubt it. They play for a living. I can’t remember a maximum that did not include some risky shot at some stage. Usually to stay on the black, whilst there is an easier shot – on pink or blue – available to them. Most players will not take such a risk unless the frame is already safe.