Yesterday saw the quarter-finals round played to a conclusion at the Tempodrom in Berlin. They yielded a very strong semi-finals line-up: Shaun Murphy vs Neil Robertson and Judd Trump v Ali Carter. Ali Carter is the only player ranked outside the top 16 still in the competition but he has a very good record in this event and he’s more than capable to win it.
Only one table stays in operation and this is when the Tempodrom is at its best.
Here are the reports shared by WST:
Murphy And Carter Ease To Berlin Semis
Shaun Murphy and Ali Carter eased past Kyren Wilson and Stuart Bingham respectively to make the semi-finals of the Machineseeker German Masters in Berlin.
2005 World Champion Murphy has been in tremendous form already this week, having only dropped four frames en route to the semis. He demolished former Masters and UK Champion Mark Allen 5-0 in the last 16.
Wilson won the Masters earlier this month and was victorious at the Shanghai Masters at the beginning of the season. However, both of those are invitational events and don’t count towards his ranking. As a result he heads to the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong knowing he is yet to earn a place at the Players Championship, which he won last year. Only the top 16 performers across this season’s ranking events earn a spot.
Murphy’s Masters campaign ended in disappointment after tumbling out in the first round of his title defence against Si Jiahui. However, he quickly took a stranglehold on this afternoon’s encounter.
Breaks of 78, 101, 68 and 58 helped him into a 4-0 lead at the mid-session interval. When play resumed a stunning total clearance of 139 kept Wilson alive. An element of tension was then injected into proceedings when frame six came down to the colours. Murphy eventually cracked in a brilliant long brown and cleared to the pink to get over the line. He now faces Neil Robertson
The Magician is delighted with his form so far this week and determined to win the event for a first time and honour former manager and close friend Brandon Parker, who the trophy is named after. Parker was instrumental in bringing this event to Berlin and promoting it.
“These results have been totally unexpected. Whether I win 5-4 on the black or 5-0 it doesn’t matter to me. I’m just happy to still be in this great tournament. It is one of the few events which I haven’t won during my career. It would mean a lot to go on and lift the trophy on Sunday night. I’ve come here on a bit of a mission,” said 43-year-old Murphy.
“This is one of the best atmospheres in all of our sport. The atmosphere at Ally Pally and the Crucible, when they go down to one table, is incredible. This comes very close. The crowd are always packed. It will be brilliant out there.
“I’m going to try and not make the mistake I made against Stephen Maguire here all those years ago. My friend and manager, Brandon, said to get the crowd onside. I got all involved in the walk on and lost 6-0. I’ll try not to do that tomorrow!“
Carter continued his tremendous record in Berlin with a 5-1 triumph against 2015 World Champion Bingham.
The Captain is a two-time champion here and captured the title in 2013 and 2023. He was also runner-up to Anthony Hamilton in 2017.
Carter top scored with 137 this afternoon and now moves on to face world number one Judd Trump for a place in the final.
Trump And Robertson Complete Last Four Line Up
Judd Trump and Neil Robertson scored wins on Friday night to book their places in the single table semi-finals of the Machineseeker German Masters in Berlin.
World number one Trump battled to a hard fought 5-3 win over back-to-back Wuhan Open champion Xiao Guodong.
The Ace in the Pack is gunning to end a trophy drought which extends back to the 2024 UK Championship and meant he went the entire calendar year of 2025 without a win.
This weekend provides a big opportunity for Trump to add to his trophy cabinet early on in 2026, given he is the most successful player in German Masters history. The 36-year-old captured the title in 2020, 2021 and 2024.
Trump raced out of the blocks this evening in front of a packed Tempodrom crowd. Breaks of 65 and 107 gave him an early 2-0 advantage, but Xiao replied in kind with runs of 104 and 62 to head in for the mid-session all square at 2-2.
The Chinese cueman took the frame when play resumed and took the lead for the first time, but it would turn out to also be the last. Trump powered to the finish with contributions of 105, 53 and 69 to run out a 5-3 victor. Next up is two-time German Masters winner Ali Carter, who Trump believes needs a big stage like the Tempodrom arena to thrive.
“I think Ali over the years has been someone that has been guilty of not getting up for some of the events. I’m maybe the opposite. When he comes here and the World Championship, he seems to find another gear. It takes something special to do that. When you are at tournaments you love you need to not try too hard. He loves the big occasion,” said 30-time ranking event winner Trump.
“I say every year this is one of the top two or three events we come to. It is not every event we get to compete in front of this many people. It is special. Tonight was a bit of a taster. We were the last table on and the crowd was bigger than earlier on in the week. It is going to be great tomorrow.
“It was a tough game tonight and I didn’t feel I did a lot wrong. We both played to a good standard. I feel a bit tired now as it took a lot of concentration out there to get the job done.”
Robertson progressed with a 5-1 demolition of his namesake Jimmy Robertson to set up a blockbuster semi-final against Shaun Murphy.
The Australian is aiming to lift the Brandon Parker Trophy for the first time in his career, as is tomorrow’s opponent Murphy. Both players carry an imposing presence around the table and Robertson is ready for the challenge Murphy poses.
Robertson said: “All of the top players have their own kind of aura around the table. Each one is just as imposing as the other. I like to see that. It spurs me on to play better. When you see the top players strutting round the table, it inspires you to play really well too. We are both very attacking players and great long potters. The key is maybe who can pot great balls to get in or the safety.”
.
…
Ronnie O'Sullivan 