Neil Robertson couldn’t stage more comeback heroics as the Aussie exited the Masters to Shaun Murphy.
The Thunder From Down Under was a late call-up for the Alexandra Palace showcase after Ronnie O’Sullivan’s shock withdrawal, and he made his mark right away – coming from 5-1 down to defeat Wizard of Wishaw John Higgins 6-5 in the opening game. But he couldn’t extend his stay further, after losing 6-2 to a dominant Shaun Murphy in London.
Despite the Magician’s sensational performance however, Robertson doesn’t believe he has what it takes to make the final – as he predicted that world No.1 Judd Trump could be in for a shock in Sunday’s showpiece, if he can make it that far. Speaking to SportsBoom, Robertson said: “I wouldn’t say (Shaun is) the favourite because each match is different, and there’s no guarantee that he can play that well. Balls can run different; balls can go a little bit scrappy.
“There really wasn’t too much that went wrong for him today, he was getting the chances. If he plays that well, then as long as he gets the run of the ball that you need to win tournaments, then yeah, he’s got every chance, he played a great match. Absolutely. But Shaun is going to play against either Selby or Allen, who will look to make it harder. I think they have the capabilities of spoiling it for him.
“They’ll make the frames go for 15 minutes longer and get Shaun out of his rhythm. He’ll need to be careful with that. Mark Allen’s beat Judd in finals before, and Mark’s really toughened up his game and plays in a way that also makes it very tough for Judd. I think it will be Allen.”
Murphy, on the other hand, was full of confidence after his performance and took the opportunity to crack a joke about Allen and Selby’s notoriously methodical styles of play ahead of their evening session quarter-final. He commented: “You can’t get involved in what everyone else is doing, and I’m sure the two Marks will go at it tonight.
“I think we’ll be lucky if that finishes today. Both of those players, particularly Selby in his first match, looked very, very dangerous and clinical, but you only need to concentrate on you out there.
Reflecting on his growth as a player, Murphy dismissed any concerns about being thrown off his game by defensive tactics, adding: “I’m not that sort of 20-odd year-old rookie who burst on and won the world champs. I’m not an inexperienced campaigner anymore. I feel like I’ve paid my dues and served my time, and if I need to, I can get in the trenches and mix it with anyone in any department in the game. I just choose to be more aggressive. I get more fun out of that. I enjoy that more, but I’m happy to play anyone anyway.”