Murphy Fires Four Tons To Beat O’Donnell
Shaun Murphy made four century breaks in a 5-2 win over Martin O’Donnell in the first qualifying round of the D88.com German Masters in Barnsley on Wednesday.
All players need to win two matches this week to make it to the final stages in Berlin (January 30 to February 3).
Murphy enjoyed a welcome return to form at last week’s Scottish Open, reaching the final, and he showed his break-building class again with runs of 129, 103, 136 and 137 in a superb display against O’Donnell.
In the second round Murphy will face veteran Jimmy White, who beat Harvey Chandler 5-2 with a top break of 84.
Defending champion Mark Williams was pushed hard by China’s 17-year-old Fan Zhengyi, but pulled away from 3-3 to win 5-3 with breaks of 119 and 135 in the last two frames. Williams now plays Jak Jones.
Australia’s Neil Robertson needed just 65 minutes to beat Jamie Clarke 5-0, making top breaks of 66, 64 and 118. He now meets James Cahill.
Ding won the German Masters in 2014
China’s Ding Junhui fired runs of 59, 54, 63, 104 and 77 as he beat Nigel Bond 5-0 to set up a match with Kuldesh Johal.
Germany’s Lukas Kleckers moved within one win of qualifying for his home tournament with a 5-2 win over Hammad Miah. Kleckers will face Judd Trump with a place in Berlin at stake.
Gary Wilson beat Chen Zifan 5-4 with a top break of 120. As it stands, that result keeps Wilson in the the top 32 of the one-year ranking list in the race to qualify for the Coral World Grand Prix – for more on that story click here
Jordan Brown edged out Anthony McGill 5-4 with a top break of 109 while Barry Hawkins made a 143, the highest break of the tournament so far, during a 5-1 victory over Michael White.
Jack Lisowski top scored with 110 in a 5-1 win over Mark Joyce while Anthony Hamilton, who won this title in 2017, suffered a 5-1 defeat against Luo Honghao.
Entry to watch the qualifiers at the Barnsley Metrodome is free and fans can gain access to the arena on a first-come-first-served basis.