Summary
On the first day of the 2026 Masters, Shaun Murphy, the reigning champion, was defeated 6-2 by China's Wu Yize. This match marked Wu's debut at the Alexandra Palace, and he will advance to the quarter-finals to play against either Mark Selby or Xiao Guodong.
Key Facts
- Shaun Murphy is a past Masters winner, with titles in 2015 and 2025.
- Murphy lost his first-round match 6-2 against Wu Yize.
- Wu Yize is 22 years old and ranked 13th globally in snooker.
- Wu won his first ranking title in November at the International Championship in China.
- In the match, Wu had notable clearances of 137 points in frame two and 56 points in frame seven.
- Wu will face either Mark Selby or Xiao Guodong in the next round.
- Murphy did not manage to score a break of 50 points in the match.
- Wu enjoyed his first experience playing at a major venue like Alexandra Palace.
