The defending champion Shaun Murphy is out of the Masters after a shock 6-2 defeat against China’s Wu Yize on the opening day of the 2026 tournament at Alexandra Palace.
Wu, the world No 13, dominated from the outset and won the opening three frames, recording a superb break of 137 in the second. Murphy, the top seed, rallied briefly but, with a highest break of only 49, could not get back into the contest.
Murphy told BBC Sport: “I’ve looked forward to walking out as champion but I enjoyed it for about the first 10 minutes and the rest of the match was highly unpleasant. It’s possibly my worst performance of my season.”
The four-time world champion Mark Selby also endured an early exit as he was beaten 6-2 by the Chinese debutant Xiao Guodong.
Selby, winner of the UK Championship last month, scored only 43 points as he lost the opening four frames and despite responding with breaks of 101 and 76, the world No 11 Xiao reclaimed the initiative with a 118 and finished the job in the eighth frame.