2015 Masters Final Neil Robertson 2-10 Shaun Murphy

Shaun Murphy trounced world number one Neil Robertson 10-2 in the final of the Masters to become only the 10th player to complete snooker's 'triple crown'.

Murphy, 32, adds to his 2005 World Championship victory and his triumph in the 2008 UK Championship.


In a repeat of the 2012 final, Murphy made two centuries to avenge the defeat he suffered in that match.


Robertson failed to get going, and Murphy completed the biggest winning margin in the final for 27 years.


It was the first time since Steve Davis's 9-0 whitewash of Mike Hallett in 1988 that the final was decided by such a wide deficit.

The 10 'triple crown' winners
Steve Davis, Terry Griffiths, Alex Higgins, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy

"I can't believe it," said Murphy, who nearly quit the sport a year ago. "To finally get the win and the crown is unbelievable.


"I remember in the past Neil nicking a few tight frames against me and they really hurt. I just decided to stick in there and be patient and in the end I got a chance to steal the frame.


"In all, I have played pretty well this week and I am blown away."


Englishman Murphy's preparations for the tournament were hampered by a severe chest infection.


After stating he wanted to win the Masters within the next decade, he put together devastating performances full of confidence and style - much like his World Championship triumph at the Crucible 10 years previously.


He won six frames in a row to beat Mark Allen in the last four and started the final in similar fashion, claiming the first five frames to open up a healthy advantage.


But Australian Robertson - who crushed defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in the previous round - battled back by taking two of the next three frames to go 6-2 behind.

Six-time world champion Steve Davis
"It is never nice to get a drubbing in the final but it was just one match.
"If you look at Neil Robertson's standard in the tournament as a whole it was very high.
"However, you judge yourself on winning and losing and you beat yourself up on the last defeat."

"Shaun played very well today," said 32-year-old Robertson.



"I just could not produce the sort of snooker that got me to the final. I'd just like to say welcome to the triple crown club. He is a worthy champion."



Murphy restored the five-frame lead by taking the ninth, before a superb 127 and the following frame put him one away from victory.



And he quickly finished the match by making a composed break of 60 in the 13th frame for the £200,000 top prize and the trophy.

2015 Masters Semi Finals Sat 17th Jan

Ronnie O'Sullivan 1-6 Neil Robertson


Ali Carter 2-6 Shaun Murphy

World number one Neil Robertson crushed defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-1 to reach his third Masters final.

It brought an end to O'Sullivan's 15-match winning streak in all competitions as Robertson made breaks of 100, 66 and 60 to go through.


He faces Shaun Murphy in a repeat of the 2012 final after the Englishman came back to beat Mark Allen 6-2.


Murphy keeps alive his hopes of a career 'triple crown', winning six frames in a row to clinch victory.


"A lot has been said and written about me needing this to complete the triple crown. As much as you try and ignore it, you can't," Murphy told BBC Sport.


"It does mean so much to have another crack in the final. When Neil plays like he has done this week, he is almost unbeatable. It is my job to try and find a nick somewhere."


Having won the 2005 World title and 2008 UK crown, 'The Magician' can join an elite group of nine players who have won all three of snooker's majors.

Robertson beat Murphy 10-6 in the 2012 Masters final

Murphy stated before the tournament that he wants to win the invitational Masters event by 2025, but he may not need that long if he gains revenge over Robertson in Sunday's showpiece.


Northern Irishman Allen took a 2-0 lead with breaks of 83 and 62, before Murphy responded with 80 and 83 as he went 3-2 ahead.


A 76 break plus a century put him further in front at 5-1, before taking the one he needed to advance into his second final.


The first semi-final pitted together snooker's record century-maker in O'Sullivan, and Robertson, who compiled more than 100 century breaks last season.


'The Rocket' had won the Champion of Champions tournament and the UK Championship in the lead-up to this tournament, but he was beaten by a confident and high-scoring opponent.

BBC Sport analyst Steve Davis
"To beat O'Sullivan, it needed a standard of snooker that Robertson produced.
"Ronnie has put together so much good stuff over the last few years, that he can't keep on doing it time after time.
"It is a relentless standard he has produced and can't always be at his brilliant best."

Robertson won the first frame with a century break and stole the next with a 66 clearance after O'Sullivan had compiled 63 but missed a frame-ball black.


And the Australian - who had a 97% pot success rate in his win over Ali Carter - took the third, but O'Sullivan, who struggled throughout, made a 101 break in the fourth frame to go two frames behind.


However, with the Englishman continually missing pots, Robertson closed out the match in an assured manner with breaks of 58 and 60 as he looks to win the crown for a second time.


"I am really happy with the way I played. Ronnie was struggling but I put him under pressure early on," Robertson told BBC Sport.


"When he made mistakes, I had to capitalise - that was the key. He never seemed to settle."

2015 Masters 1/4 finals Fri 16th Jan

Mark Allen 6-4 Joe Perry


Shaun Murphy 6-4 Stephen Maguire

Shaun Murphy reached his third Masters semi-final after an enthralling 6-4 victory over Stephen Maguire at Alexandra Palace.

Having won the 2005 World title and 2008 UK crown, Murphy stays on course for a career 'triple crown', after making two breaks of 103 to advance.


He will meet Mark Allen who beat Joe Perry 6-4 earlier in the day.


"For long periods of that match, it was embarrassing," Allen told BBC Sport. "I just could not get anything going.


"I was delivering the cue so badly."

Allen went 3-1 ahead, before England's Perry made breaks of 50, 68 and 67 to make it 4-4. But Northern Irishman Allen made a break of 55 and then clinched the 10th to progress.

Allen went through into his second Masters semi-final but will have to improve significantly if he is to trouble Murphy.


Scotland's Maguire opened with breaks of 137 and 67, before Murphy responded with 103 as he levelled at 2-2.


Some superb potting allowed Englishman Murphy to go ahead in the match for the first time at 4-3, before another century and the 10th frame gave him victory.

2015 Masters 1/4 finals Thurs 15th Jan

Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-1 Marco Fu
Neil Robertson 6-1 Ali Carter

World number one Neil Robertson put in a stunning performance to defeat Ali Carter 6-1 in the quarter-finals of the Masters in London.

The Aussie was in sublime form, compiling two century breaks plus three further half centuries to complete a comfortable win at Alexandra Palace.

He now faces Ronnie O'Sullivan in Saturday's semi-final.

Carter was given the all-clear in December after developing a cancerous tumour on his lung .

He missed the first five months of the season, but won the General Cup, a non-ranking event held in Hong Kong in October, before playing in the invitational Champions of Champions event in November and the UK Championship later that month.

'The Captain' was superb in his first match in this tournament, trouncing Barry Hawkins 6-1, but he came up against a formidable opponent in Robertson.

The Aussie had a pot-success rate of 97% in making frame-winning contributions of 128, 57, 98, 127 and finally 84, as he seeks a second Masters crown to add to his 2012 triumph.

Earlier, O'Sullivan scored his 776th career century to break Stephen Hendry's all-time record as he defeated Marco Fu 6-1.

2015 Masters Round 1 Weds 14th Jan

Mark Allen 6-4 John Higgins

Ding 3-6 Joe Perry

Former champion Ding Junhui was beaten 6-3 by Joe Perry in the first round of the Masters at Alexandra Palace.

Perry stroked in breaks of 79 and 104 to lead, before going 4-2 ahead after nicking the sixth frame on the final black, despite needing three snookers.


Ding won the next frame by a point, but Perry clinched the two he needed including a century to advance.


Two-time champion John Higgins was knocked out of the tournament after losing 6-4 to Mark Allen.


The match began with real quality as Higgins made two centuries and Allen one as the pair were locked at 3-3.


Allen went 5-3 up and although Higgins got one back with a break that ended with a missed yellow when on for a 147, the Northern Irishman sealed the win.


"I like to think I am good under pressure, I have good bottle," Allen told BBC Sport after his victory.


"I had it in the back of my mind to stay positive. I have a good record against him recently and he has been struggling."


Higgins has not won a ranking event since the Shanghai Masters in 2012 and his form has declined over the last couple of seasons.


Although he showed flashes of brilliance with three centuries and a 96 in an enthralling encounter, Allen capitalised on his mistakes to progress.

2015 Masters Round 1 Tues 13th Jan 2015

Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-4 Ricky Walden

Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan equalled Stephen Hendry's all-time centuries record of 775 as he beat Ricky Walden 6-4 in the Masters.

O'Sullivan compiled hundreds in the sixth and 10th frame in the first round at Alexandra Palace in London.



Walden failed to capitalise on opportunities as O'Sullivan went 5-1 ahead before his opponent hit back.



He made a hundred of his own and took another two but O'Sullivan progressed and faces Marco Fu in the next round.


"I could have had it earlier on," O'Sullivan told BBC Sport. "You start to make silly mistakes when you are chasing a record. I scraped over the line."

Hendry, who turned 46 today, reacted by saying: "I am not bothered, it was a matter of time [before it was beaten]."

O'Sullivan began the tournament on 773 career tons but soon matched seven-time world champion Hendry's record.

'The Rocket' was given a let off against Walden, who he defeated 6-0 at the quarter-final stage last year, when he put together a record 556 unanswered points.

Walden was on the verge of going out, but reduced the arrears to 5-4, before O'Sullivan fluked a yellow as he made the record-equalling break of 116 for victory.

In the evening match, Ali Carter faces Barry Hawkins in the first round at 19:00 GMT.




Barry Hawkins 1-6 Ali Carter

Ali Carter made quick work of Barry Hawkins with a 6-1 win in the first round of the Masters in London.

Carter was given the all-clear by doctors in December after developing a cancerous tumour on his lung, months after beating testicular cancer.


He made a superb start to the match with breaks of 95 and 50 to hold a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval.


A century followed as he extended his advantage to 5-1, and he took the next frame to seal a comprehensive victory.


Carter received a standing ovation into the arena and said it was "a dream come true" to be playing in such a big event.


The 35-year-old missed the first five months of this season, before winning the General Cup, a non-ranking event held in Hong Kong in October.


He then played in the invitational Champions of Champions event in November and the UK Championship later that month, before getting the all-clear.


But he was untroubled in this match and sets up a meeting with Australia's Neil Robertson in the quarter-finals.

2015 Masters Round 1 Mon 12th Jan

Judd Trump (Eng) 4-6 Stephen Maguire (Sco)


Neil Robertson (Aus) 6-4 Robert Milkins (Eng)

Stephen Maguire and Neil Robertson reached the Masters quarter-finals, both with 6-4 wins at Alexandra Palace.

Judd Trump, among the favourites after reaching last month's UK Championship final, capitulated against Maguire having won the first two frames.

World number one Robertson was made to work hard against Robert Milkins, after losing the opening frame.

Australian Robertson, who last won the Masters title in 2012, recorded three successive frames to seal victory.

In the earlier game, 25-year-old Trump, from Bristol, watched Maguire win four consecutive frames which included a break of 96.


World number seven Trump levelled, but let the Scot, 33, back in. The match turned in the third frame with Maguire just avoiding going 3-0 down.

After fighting back to go 5-4 ahead, Maguire was gifted the chance for victory - which he took with a run of 64 - in the 10th frame when Trump missed a simple black off the spot as he focused on shattering the pack of reds to all corners.

"How I was 2-2 at the interval, I'll never know," Maguire told BBC Sport, as he looked forward to meeting Shaun Murphy, conqueror of world champion Mark Selby, in the last eight.

"I think it will be a good match against Murphy. We've had some right good games in the past."

2015 Masters Round 1 Sun 11th Jan

Mark Selby (Eng) 5-6 Shaun Murphy (Eng)

World champion Mark Selby was knocked out in the first round of the Masters as he was beaten 6-5 by Shaun Murphy.

Murphy, 32, held a 5-1 lead, before fellow Englishman Selby won four frames, including a break of 120, to level the scores at Alexandra Palace.


But 2012 runner-up Murphy took the decider to reach the quarter-finals.


It was the first match of the 16-man competition, with England's Stuart Bingham taking on Hong Kong's Marco Fu at 19:00 GMT.


Selby, 31, lost the 2014 Masters final to Ronnie O'Sullivan, before defeating him last May to win the World Championship for the first time.

Stuart Bingham (Eng) 3-6 Marco Fu (HK)

Hong Kong's Marco Fu made a maximum 147 break during his 6-3 first-round win against England's Stuart Bingham on the opening day of the Masters.

World number 10 Fu compiled the third maximum of his career in the fourth frame of his game at Alexandra Palace.

He made two further century breaks, both worth 103.

In the quarter-finals of the 16-man tournament, Fu will face reigning champion Ronnie O'Sullivan or Ricky Walden, who play on Tuesday.

Fu, who has won two ranking events in his career, reached the final of the Masters in 2011, but lost 10-4 against China's Ding Junhui.