‘Worst performance’ – Defending champion Shaun Murphy thrashed in first round of Masters to debutante

Shaun Murphy’s defence of his Masters title came to an end at the first hurdle as he suffered a 6-2 defeat on day one of the tournament.

The Englishman was torn apart at Alexandra Palace by China’s Wu Yize, who was making his debut in the tournament.

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Wu is a rising star in the game, with the no.13 ranked player in the world scooping his first ranking title in November when he won the International Championship in Yanjing in his home country.

The 22-year-old got the better of Judd Trump, Zhao Xintong and John Higgins along the way.

Nevertheless, the manner of victory for Wu will turn heads given Murphy won the tournament last year.

He raced to the first three frames before taking the fifth on a black ball finish to go 4-1 up.

Wu’s best moment came in the second frame as he made a clearance of 137, meanwhile the seventh frame saw him record a break of 56.

His reward for the scalp of Murphy will be a last eight showdown against either Mark Selby or China’s Xiao Guodong, who lock horns in the evening match on Sunday.

“I felt a bit of pressure when I entered the stadium because it was the first time I’ve played in such a big stadium and the fans were so enthusiastic,” said Wu.

“After the first frame, I felt a bit more relaxed and I totally enjoyed the atmosphere. It’s definitely a great achievement for myself – my first time playing at the Masters and the first time beating Shaun Murphy.”

‘Worst performance’

As for Murphy, he lamented his ‘disappointing’ performance, as he labelled it his worst of the season.

The Triple Crown winner went into the tournament in good form having reached the semi-finals of the UK Championship last month, but couldn’t manage a single break of 50 against Wu.

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“I’ve been looking forward to today for a year, walking out as champion, but I enjoyed the first ten minutes,” said Murphy.

“I didn’t play well, certainly the worst performance of my season, maybe the worst in the Masters.

“I’m very disappointed. None of it was there. I felt everything I touched was not there. I’ve been working very hard, practising hard, playing a lot of snooker, so I didn’t expect to play like that and I’m as shocked as anyone.

“Wu looked calm, looked at ease and fully deserved his win. He will be a handful for anyone he plays.”

Masters 2026

The tournament is the second Triple Crown event of the 2025/26 season after the 2025 UK Championship and 2026 World Snooker Championship, which starts in April.

It has all the top players in the sport competing, although seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan is a notable absentee from this year’s Masters.

World no.1 Judd Trump begins his Masters campaign on Wednesday as he faces Chinese star Ding Junhui.

Last year’s runner-up Kyren Wilson also has Chinese opposition as he faces Si Jiahui in the first round on Tuesday.