Neil Robertson and Judd Trump got off the mark excellently well, shrugging off the competition from their relatively unknown opponents to book a place in the next round.
Trump had a large share of the bite himself, hammering teenager Iulian Boiko by a 5-0 score line. The teenager newcomer always had it coming having being matched with Juddernaut who won six ranking titles last term.
Robertson didn’t have much of a rollercoaster like the untouchable Trump. The defending champion was behind after four frames and could be said to have been threading on thin ice. Robertson fought from two frames down to overcome Akani Songermsawad, posting a 5-3 scoreline in the process.
Robertson came onto the floor as the defending champion after sweeping away Zhou Yuelong by a 9-0 scoreline to lift the trophy only eight months ago. The Austrian does not only have his eyes on this trophy but will be looking to get ahead the likes of Judd Trump in the race for the European Series winner.
Trump thumped his blonde rival to the £150,000 up for grabs last term having won most of the competitions making up the European Series. The European Masters is the first of the six competitions making up this year’s edition of the European Series that will count towards the Order of Merit race.
Elsewhere, three-time world champion, Mark Williams stole the headlines with the masterclass he delivered. The Welshman demolished his opponent, Ashley Hugill by a 5-0 score line, posting a hattrick of tons in the process. The latter managed to post only eight points across the match. Could it have been an abysmal performance from Ashley or was it Williams who put up an impressive show?
Wilson also brushed aside his opponent, Lee Walker to secure a place in the next round. A 5-1 win was enough to decide the fate of Walker who would now make his way out of the tournament. One of the big highlights of the day was a close game between John Higgins and Martin Gould. However, it was the former who went through the exit door, after losing 5-4 to his opponent.
Written by: Roland Arum
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