Masters 2026: Current champion Shaun Murphy loses to Wu Yizi in the first round

Reigning Masters champion Shaun Murphy was eliminated on the first day of the 2026 event, losing 6-2 to China’s Wu Yize in the first round.

Murphy, who beat Kyren Wilson to win his second Triple Crown event a year ago, lost the opening three frames and, despite taking the fourth frame, lost the fifth frame with a black-ball finish.

Wu, 22, is ranked 13th in the world and claimed his maiden rankings title in November when he won the international tournament in Yanjing in his home country, beating world champions Judd Trump, Zhao Xintong and John Higgins along the way.

On his debut at Alexandra Palace, Wu made an impressive clearance of 137 in the second frame and a break of 56 in the seventh frame.

He will play current UK champion Mark Selby or China’s Xiao Guodong in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

“I felt a little pressure when I entered the stadium because it was my first time playing in such a big stadium and the fans were very excited,” Wu said.

“After the first frame, I felt much more relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere. It’s definitely a great achievement for me – my first time playing in the Masters and my first time beating Shaun Murphy.”

For 43-year-old Murphy, who reached the semi-finals of the UK Championships last month, it was a disappointing afternoon as he failed to record a single break of 50.

“I’ve been looking forward to today for a year, where I’ll go out a champion, but I enjoyed the first 10 minutes,” Murphy said. “I didn’t play well, definitely the worst performance of my season, and probably the worst at the Masters.

“I’m very disappointed. None of it was there. I felt like everything I touched wasn’t there. I’ve worked hard, trained hard and played a lot of snooker, so I didn’t expect to play like this and I’m as shocked as everyone else.”

“Wu looked calm and relaxed and fully deserved his win. He’ll be a handful to play with.”