Higgins sets down Masters marker

John Higgins laid down a marker in the first round of the Masters as he searches for his first Masters title for 10 years and his third in all. He won a classic contest with Chinese debutant Liang Wenbo who scored very well himself to stick with the Scot, but there was nothing he could do about John's three century breaks that could have been even greater in number in a 6-4 win.

The defending champion was sent packing way back on the opening afternoon in a dramatic match with Mark Allen. Shaun Murphy did well to level at 2-2 at the mid-session interval but after losing the fifth frame, he gave away the sixth on the "three miss rule" whereby after failing to hit a red that he could see all of on three occasions the frame was awarded to his opponent. Allen went 5-2 but Murphy had a century on the way back to 4-5 and had his chances to force a decider, but it was Mark who got over the line.

The big headline for many was Ronnie O'Sullivan's 6-5 win over Mark Williams. Ronnie of course was playing on television for the first time since April after missing the UK Championships and Champion of Champions where he was defending champion. He also lost four frames in the middle of this match with the Welshman after leading 2-0 early on in fortunate circumstances after a huge fluke in frame two. From 4-2 he actually went on to pull ahead at 5-4, and despite forcing a decider, a very risky plant didn't go Mark's way in the decider and Ronnie made him pay to win it.

World Champion Stuart Bingham kept up his good record against Ding Junhui on the way to his first Masters win in a scrappy 6-4 victory. The loss for Ding continues his run of woeful form and a run at the Masters that means he has lost in the first round on five consecutive occasions now since capturing the title in 2011.

Judd Trump was able to overturn a couple of demons in his 6-4 first round win against Stephen Maguire. Stephen was of course the man that beat Judd in the first round a year ago, while Judd was also able to send his demons from the UK packing in sorts. In the Last 32 there against Liang Wenbo he lost 6-4 from 4-1 ahead, and the signs were that it could happen again after Maguire levelled at 4-4 from 4-1 down. On this occasion Judd played two very good frames to finish off though at 6-4.

Barry Hawkins was able to recover from losing three frames on the spin to Joe Perry from 2-0 ahead by finishing with four in a row from 3-2 down to end up winning that match 6-3 on Monday evening.

The biggest win of the first round saw Ricky Walden suffer his second Masters whitewash in three years, losing 6-0 to Mark Selby. Mark took control after a sensational clearance to steal the opener was followed by breaks of 118, 66 and 81 to lead 4-0 at the interval and barely missing a ball at this stage. Despite a few misses in the fifth he still won it and the victory was completed with an 83 break in the sixth.

Neil Robertson was the final man through against what looked to be an unwell Marco who certainly wasn't at the races and also suffered a whitewash defeat.

First Round Results:

Mark Allen 6-4 Shaun Murphy
Barry Hawkins 6-3 Joe Perry
Judd Trump 6-4 Stephen Maguire
Neil Robertson 6-0 Marco Fu
Mark Selby 6-0 Ricky Walden
Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-5 Mark Williams
John Higgins 6-4 Liang Wenbo
Stuart Bingham 6-4 Ding Junhui

Quarter-Final Preview: (Picks in Bold)

Mark Allen Vs Barry Hawkins - This is going to be a very tight match in my view and one I wouldn't be surprised to go to a deciding frame one bit. Mark Allen was particularly impressive against Shaun Murphy with his break building form, and looked to be showing the form again that got him to the Champion of Champions final. These two actually met in the first round of that event, with Allen winning 4-2, avenging three losses in a row he had suffered to Hawkins previously including his 13-11 World Championship exit last season. Barry Hawkins looked to be in decent touch too against Joe Perry, but of course his record at the Masters isn't great with that being his first ever win in round one. This could well be Allen's week to finally win his first major and I certainly don't think he is far away from making that a reality, which is why I would go for him to edge this one with Barry.

Neil Robertson Vs Judd Trump - I always relish these battles between the two best left-handers in the game and this one will be no different. Neil Robertson battered a Marco Fu who had come down with a virus and would have pulled out had it not been a major. Nothing was really learned about the Australian who did still miss a few and wasn't really challenged at all, but he was still in good touch. Judd on the other hand was seriously pushed by Stephen Maguire after watching his 4-1 lead disappear. I was impressed by how he stuck in and battled out the 6-4 victory this time though, and also to hear that he didn't have a day off from practice over Christmas in preparation for the Masters, and I expected him to have worked hard as this is one event where he has targeted a strong showing. There are not many men who can beat Neil Robertson when he is in good form but Judd is certainly one of those, and he has a strong record against Neil and has learned from the 2014 World Championship quarter-final exit against him. For these reasons, I am going to go for the slight underdog in Trump to win.

Mark Selby Vs Ronnie O'Sullivan - The rivalry continues. A lot is made of it anytime that Ronnie O'Sullivan plays Mark Selby, and at this present moment in time Selby is probably the player that the Rocket has the most respect for. Selby has beaten Ronnie O'Sullivan in a World Championship final, something no-one else has. In the first round Selby looked sharp and there was evidence that he had put plenty of work in over Christmas as he battered Ricky Walden. Ronnie O'Sullivan is not happy with his form, saying he is struggling to find his balance at the table after a back injury he suffered in November, and for the first half of the match he was really struggling against Mark Williams who could so easily have won. It feels a little like Williams missed the boat, something that Mark certainly will not do because O'Sullivan always brings out the best in him, as does the Masters as a whole. That could prove a very dangerous combination for Ronnie's army of supporters.

Stuart Bingham Vs John Higgins - If John Higgins plays anything like what he did in the opening round today against Liang Wenbo then he could give Stuart Bingham a little bit of a hiding to be honest. Stuart's match with Ding Junhui was by no means pretty with both players struggling, and even though he can take some confidence after getting over the line in the end, particularly with the pressures of being World Champion weighing heavily upon him. In fact, as the underdog in this match he may be able to relax and play in a similar fashion to John's round one performance. Three centuries was John's tally for the match with Wenbo and he was disappointed not to have eventually made more. He looks in a mood to do some damage in the draw this week, and as we saw in the UK Championships it will take something very special to stop him once again.


Four great matches coming our way in the quarter-finals then at the Alexandra Palace, plenty of pedigree left in the tournament and with the way the majority of the guys are playing there could be some real classics in store and plenty of tension. The next offering from me will be ahead of the semi-finals which come up on Saturday.