Murphy to meet Allen in Masters semis despite missing maximum

Shaun Murphy delivered an impressive 6-2 victory over Neil Robertson in the quarter-finals of the Snooker Masters at Alexandra Palace, securing his place in the semi-finals. Despite missing out on a 147 maximum break, his performance was still remarkable.

Leading 5-2, Murphy potted 15 reds and 15 blacks consecutively, reaching 120 points with only the colors remaining. However, he unexpectedly snookered himself behind the blue ball, missing the chance to complete the maximum break. Had he succeeded, it would have been a perfect finish to his near-flawless performance. The 42-year-old Englishman will face Mark Allen in the semi-finals on Saturday, after Allen defeated Mark Selby 6-2.

Murphy started the match in excellent form, making breaks of 81, 88, and 104. However, Allen appeared more dominant after a long and crucial fourth frame where he narrowly edged out Selby, preventing him from leveling the score at 2-2. Earlier, Murphy had built a 4-1 lead over Robertson with breaks of 90, 67, and 66. Although two-time champion Robertson responded with a century break in the next frame, Murphy then extended his lead with an 82 break, ultimately securing the win.

In a post-match interview with BBC Sport, Murphy said, "That was close to my best, I'm very happy." He also mentioned feeling nervous when attempting the 147 and stated that one of his goals this season is to achieve a maximum break in a Triple Crown event, and this was a great opportunity. He added that if he had made the 147, it would have been a great birthday present for his mother.

On the other hand, Selby failed to find the rhythm he had in his previous 6-1 victory over Ali Carter and also experienced some bad luck during the match. In contrast, 2018 champion Allen had several lucky breaks and showed a more solid tactical approach, allowing him to dominate the match. He decisively won the fourth and sixth frames, continuously putting pressure on three-time champion Selby, ultimately proving himself the deserved winner. Allen stated after the match that he felt he played better than Selby, but luck was definitely on his side. He thought both players started well but then it became messy, with both missing chances. He also admitted that it was one of the luckiest matches he had played in a long time, even ridiculously so at times. Even in the sixth frame, he played some bad shots but escaped, admitting that there were two frames he shouldn’t have won.

Selby, who hasn’t reached the semi-finals of this event since 2014, added, “I was chasing the game all the way, and I couldn’t get going. He won all the close frames. Sometimes you feel it’s not meant to be. After the mid-session interval, I didn’t feel I had too many clear-cut chances.”

Murphy demonstrated a high level of play, setting the tone for a high-quality match with a 90 break in the first frame. When Robertson responded with a 79 break in the next frame, it briefly looked like it would be a close classic. However, this did not materialize as Murphy narrowly won the crucial fifth frame by a single point and hardly missed a shot. When he missed a black in the sixth frame, his opponent capitalized with a 108 break to reduce the deficit to two frames. Nevertheless, Robertson was unable to recover from 1-5 down as he had against John Higgins in the first round, and he was even cheering Murphy on as he approached what would have been his ninth career 147. Robertson said after the match: “I just couldn’t believe it. It’s a real shame for everyone watching. I felt sorry for Shaun. I played well, and when two players are playing well, the small margins can make the difference. You have to give credit to Shaun for his performance.”