Snooker · International
Murphy and Trump advance on German Masters opening day
Murphy won without losing a frame, while defending champion Trump recovered from an early deficit in Berlin.
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Murphy carries his form into Berlin
Shaun Murphy defeated Liam Graham 5–0 on 27 January to open his German Masters campaign. The Englishman produced breaks of 55, 79, 108 and 106, giving Graham little opportunity to extend the contest. Murphy had won the Masters eight days earlier and returned quickly to practice after celebrating that success. His next opponent was Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, who also won 5–0, against Stuart Bingham. The same evening brought a 5–0 victory for Ben Woollaston over David Gilbert, including a break of 120. Barry Hawkins faced a closer finish, edging Alfie Burden 5–4 to secure his place in the next round.
Trump recovers after a demanding start
The official broadcaster’s live coverage recorded a more complicated path for Judd Trump against David Grace. Grace took the opening frame, Trump answered with a 122 clearance, and Grace won the third 59–57 to lead 2–1. Trump then made 55 to level and 64 to move ahead. The sixth frame developed into a safety contest before Trump secured the brown and blue following a missed brown by Grace. A closing 73 completed a 5–2 victory. The sequence matters because the final margin conceals a match in which the defending champion first had to recover control. Joe O’Connor’s 5–1 win over Stephen Maguire set up his next meeting with Trump. The accompanying photograph shows that separate opening-day match, with O’Connor and Maguire at the table.
Other leading players pass the first test
TNT Sports’ completed opening-day report confirmed that world champion Kyren Wilson beat Cheung Ka Wai 5–3. Zhou Yuelong, a 5–2 winner over Artemijs Zizins, awaited him next. John Higgins defeated Mark Davis 5–3, while Neil Robertson beat Antoni Kowalski 5–1. Zhang Anda needed all nine frames against Graeme Dott, winning 5–4 after initially building a 4–1 advantage. Robert Milkins also survived a deciding frame against Xu Si. Hammad Miah defeated Chris Wakelin 5–2. Elsewhere, Jak Jones won 5–3 and progressed toward a meeting with Higgins. Hawkins had trailed Burden 2–1 before eventually winning their deciding frame. Trump entered this defence after beating Si Jiahui 10–5 in the previous final, a result that delivered his third German Masters crown. The day’s scores thus included both comfortable passages and several narrow escapes, rather than a uniform advance by the established names.
A week of competition at the Tempodrom
The tour’s advance venue announcement scheduled the German Masters from 27 January to 2 February at Berlin’s Tempodrom. WST first brought the tournament there in 2011, and its announcement described a venue with capacity for 2,000 spectators. The January opening results determined which players would continue through that week-long programme. They did not settle the ranking title, which remained several rounds away for every surviving player.
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