Masters: Neil Robertson fights back to stun John Higgins, Shaun Murphy beats Gary Wilson

Neil Robertson staged a remarkable comeback at the Snooker Masters held at Alexandra Palace, recovering from a 1-5 deficit to defeat two-time champion John Higgins 6-5 and advance to the quarterfinals. Robertson, who gained entry to the tournament following Ronnie O'Sullivan's unexpected withdrawal on Friday, will now face Shaun Murphy in the quarterfinals, who himself defeated Gary Wilson 6-3.

Early in the match, Robertson seemed to be out of contention, but the tide turned dramatically when Higgins missed a straightforward red to the middle right pocket in the seventh frame. Higgins had been in complete control, stringing together breaks of 54, 78, 59, 86, 54, and 66, putting him within a frame of victory in his 31st appearance at the event.

However, Robertson seized the opportunity, finding his rhythm at the crucial moment and reeling off breaks of 63, 118, and 80 to force a deciding frame. Despite Higgins taking an early 35-point lead, Robertson responded with a 50+ break to complete the stunning turnaround. “It was an unbelievable match. John was brilliant at 5-1, he didn’t do a lot wrong,” Robertson said in an interview with BBC Sport. “I played my best stuff. I’m very happy to get the chance with Ronnie pulling out. It shows how well I can play.”

Robertson's resurgence continues. Ali Carter benefited when O'Sullivan chose not to participate in the 2020 event, using his late entry to reach the final, and Robertson, who won the first frame before a red ball rolled out of the left corner pocket in the second, disrupting his momentum, will now look to emulate Carter’s feat. The 42-year-old won the English Open earlier this season and is showing signs of a return to form after a disappointing 2023-24 season. In contrast, Higgins, who turns 50 later this year, has now exited in the first round of the Masters for the third year in a row.

For the Scot, who has struggled to close out matches from leading positions in recent seasons, the loss will bring back memories of his defeat to Robertson in the 2022 Tour Championship final, where Robertson won 10-9 after trailing 4-9. Meanwhile, the second first-round match on Sunday followed a similar pattern, with Murphy establishing a 4-0 lead at the mid-session interval. However, Wilson, ranked 16th in the world, then closed the gap to 4-3, having initially struggled to adapt to his debut on the match table.

A break of 101 in just over seven minutes, along with further runs of 92 and 52, suggested the momentum had swung to Wilson. Murphy, who won the Masters a decade ago, stemmed the tide with a brilliant century in the next frame, and his experience proved crucial in a tense ninth frame. “After the mid-session interval, it didn’t feel very safe. I’m very proud of how I stood up and won the second-to-last frame with a century,” Murphy told BBC Sport. “You just want to get through. I’ve been working on improving my game, and there are signs of progress, and there were moments where I felt like I played very well. Ultimately, that run of four frames probably did the damage.”

In contrast to the visibly elated Murphy’s quick celebration of victory, Wilson cut a dejected figure. “I’m bored. I don’t even like it. I don’t like the game, I don’t like the atmosphere,” he said. “When I was coming back, I enjoyed it in a sense, the crowd got involved, but my game is terrible. I’m not hitting the ball well. I feel a bit like Ding Junhui and Stephen Hendry, they had problems, I’m snatching at the ball. It’s not nerves. In another life, you’d think, ‘if I could hit the ball properly, I’d be a really top player’. I’m frustrated out there.”