On January 18th, according to Beijing time, the 2025 Snooker Masters is still in progress. There has been a significant change in this event, with defending champion O'Sullivan, who holds the title of eight-time Masters champion, choosing to withdraw from the competition. In such circumstances, Neil Robertson, a Grand Slam winner, has been given the opportunity to participate as a replacement. It is worth noting that three Chinese players participated in this tournament, but only Ding Junhui managed to advance to the quarter-finals.
In the upcoming second round of the quarter-finals, the match format is set as best of 11 frames:
In the highly anticipated match, Murphy faced off against Neil Robertson in an exciting battle between the "Five Tigers of the 80s." Both players are no strangers to success, with one being a former World Championship winner. During the match, Murphy's performance was outstanding, as he delivered five consecutive frames with scores above 50, including a century break and a stunning 120-point winning shot. This victory brought his career total of century breaks to 689, solidifying his position at seventh in the historical rankings. Throughout the match, Murphy maintained an advantage, leading 1-0 at one point and eventually expanding it to 4-1, ultimately securing his place in the semi-finals with a decisive 6-2 victory.
The encounter between Allen and Selby was a clash between players born in the 80s. On one side was Allen, who had reached the semi-finals of the World Championship, while on the other was Selby, a four-time World Championship winner. Allen's performance in this match was remarkable, with a total of three frames scored over 50. Notably, in the third frame, he achieved the only century break of the match with a 104-point winning shot. This victory brought his career total of century breaks to 655, keeping him at tenth in the historical rankings, just one behind Mark Williams at ninth with 656. Allen's dominance was evident throughout the match, leading 1-0 at one stage and extending it to 5-1, eventually advancing to the semi-finals with a 6-2 victory.
Ding Junhui and world number one Trump have faced each other 20 times on the tour, with Trump, known as the "Ace," holding a slight advantage with 11 wins and 9 losses, including two recent consecutive victories. This match held special significance for both players, as it was their second encounter under the best of 11 frames format. Recall that in the semi-finals of the 2023 UK Championship, Ding Junhui performed exceptionally well, winning the match with a score of 6-4. This event marked their first meeting in the Masters and their seventh encounter in the "Three Major Tournaments" (two UK Championships and four World Championships), where they have each won three matches. Looking at their performances this season, Trump has been outstanding, reaching the final of the tour five times and winning three titles, two runner-up finishes, and once stopping at the semi-finals, with four exits in the quarter-finals. Notably, he won a massive £500,000 in prize money at the Saudi Arabia Masters and another £250,000 at the UK Championship. On the other hand, Ding Junhui broke his nearly five-year drought in ranking events by winning the 2024 Snooker International Championship!
In this matchup, Ding Junhui started strong, achieving two frames with scores over 70+, quickly taking a 2-0 lead and then extending it to 3-1. However, Trump's performance was equally impressive, with six frames over 60+, including a century break and a match-winning 125-point shot. He managed to win five consecutive frames with scores over 50+, executing an astonishing comeback to secure a 6-3 victory and advance to the semi-finals. Conversely, Ding Junhui seemed to lose his momentum in the last three frames, becoming a mere spectator without scoring a single point.
In a highly anticipated match, No. 7 seed Luca Brecel faced off against No. 2 seed K. Wilson in a derby battle between the 90s generation, also a clash between World Champions. Reflecting on their careers, they have faced each other nine times, with Brecel, known as the "Belgian Bullet," holding a slight advantage with five wins and four losses. Most recently, in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, Brecel engaged in fierce competition, eventually winning with a narrow 4-3 scoreline, advancing to the final and securing consecutive runner-up finishes. This match was not simple; it was their first direct confrontation in the Masters and their second meeting in the "Three Major Tournaments" since the 2021 UK Championship. In their previous encounter at the UK Championship, Brecel performed exceptionally well, winning with a score of 6-4. Looking at their performances this season, Brecel seems to have failed to maintain his previous good form, with mediocre results in ranking events since last season, only reaching the quarter-finals in the 2024 Scottish Open. In contrast, Wilson's performance has been outstanding, successfully defeating strong opponents like Judd Trump twice to win ranking event titles. Moreover, he advanced to the semi-finals in the UK Championship and reached the quarter-finals in several other prestigious events, achieving remarkable results.
In this matchup, Karen displayed her incredible skills from the start, achieving two frames with scores over 60+ and successfully reversing the situation in each frame. Luca was not to be outdone, delivering a high score of 96 points in the third frame with his precise ball skills, successfully winning back a frame. It is worth mentioning that this 96-point shot was the highest single-frame score in the match. In the fourth frame, the competition became even more intense. Karen, despite trailing 0-16 initially, managed to deliver a 64-point shot with her solid skills, winning the frame and achieving a reversal. Throughout the match, Karen's performance was outstanding, achieving five frames with scores over 50+ and maintaining a leading scoreline, presenting advantages of 2-0, 3-1, 4-2, and 5-3. However, the match took a turn in the ninth frame, with both players engaging in fierce combat. Although Luca fought hard and scored 68-44, unfortunately, he could not save a match point. Entering the tenth frame, the intense battle escalated even further. Initially trailing 11-53, Luca did not give up, striving to catch up with the score and narrowing it to 52-54, but ultimately fell short, losing the frame 52-60 and missing out on the semi-finals with a 4-6 defeat, which was quite regrettable.
In the event's match arrangement, Murphy will face Allen, while Trump will compete against Karen.