Shaun Murphy suffers shock exit as Neil Robertson plans for festive escape Down Under
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Updated 21/11/2017 at 08:34 GMT
Shaun Murphy was bundled out of the Northern Ireland Open in the first round after suffering a shock 4-1 loss to China's Chen Zifan.
Shaun Murphy sufferd a shock first-round exit in Belfast.
Image credit: Eurosport
The 2005 world champion Murphy was fresh from claiming the Champion of Champions tournament with a 10-8 win over Ronnie O'Sullivan in Coventry eight days ago, but was forced to sit and suffer against world number 97 Chen at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.
A fairly perplexed Murphy could only score 13 points in the first three frames as breaks of 95 and 92 helped his opponent move into a 3-0 lead.
A 68 from Murphy prevented the whitewash, but the 25-year-old Chinese player - whose best is reaching the last 32 of this year's European Masters and English Open - eased through despite missing a match ball red to a middle pocket.
Murphy was left scratching his head at the manner of his departure.
"He played phenomenal snooker bearing in mind his lack of experience on the big stage," said Murphy. "He made me look completely ordinary.
I didn't really get a sniff. It's not the first time it has happened. It has happened three or four times this season where an unknown player has come and battered me.
"I really don't know what to say. You can't do anything about it from your chair. My next focus is the UK Championship. These kids are really good. It is great for people to watch, but it is sickening to watch from your seat."
Neil Robertson intends to return home to Australia for Christmas for the first time in a decade if he fails to qualify for the Masters.
Robertson – who opened his bid for the Northern Ireland Open with a 4-1 win over Jamie Jones on Monday - is battling to be among the elite top 16 for the game's biggest invitational tournament at the Alexandra Palace in London.
The 2010 world champion is a former world number one, but finds himself at 17th in the rankings one behind Ryan Day, who holds the final spot in the standings for the Masters which begins on January 14.
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Neil Robertson in Belfast.
Image credit: Eurosport
There are two ranking tournaments to play before the cut-off point for the Masters: this week’s tournament in Belfast and the UK Championship in York that begins next Tuesday. Double UK champion Robertson won the Masters in 2012, but admits his fate is in the balance.
"If I’m not in the Masters, I’ll probably go to Australia for a few weeks at Christmas. I don’t want to be doing that,” said Robertson who ran in knocks of 56, 52 and 83. “But should that happen, I’ll look to go back home for Christmas for the first time in 10 years.
“I want to get back competing again to be number one. What will be will be. You can’t really look at the rankings.”
Robertson professed his pleasure with the crowd at the Waterfront Hall.
"It is nice to walk out and have a really nice crowd," said Robertson.
"The crowd helps a lot. I threatened a few time recently in tournaments, but have lost a few tight matches I just need to practice the way I have been."
In the pick of the evening's matches, home favourite Mark Allen enjoyed a 4-2 win over Sanderson Lam despite toiling for any level of form.
"I never played well, but I'll take the win and move on," he said. "It was nervy occasion, but it is nice to get that first match out of the way."
Elsewhere, world number 81 Sam Craigie made breaks of 106, 110, 81 and 81 to oust world number 14 Kyren Wilson, who won his only frame with a knock of 105.
Defending champion Mark King progressed with a 4-1 victory over Matthew Bolton.
And the venerable Jimmy White cut a contented figure after completing a 4-3 success against Dominic Dale.
NORTHERN IRELAND OPEN LATEST FIRST ROUND RESULTS
- Jamie Curtis-Barrett 4-1 Ian Preece
- Cao Yupeng 3-4 Li Hang
- Robin Hull 4-3 Eden Sharav
- Ricky Walden 4-0 Hammad Miah
- Soheil Vahedi 2-4 Tiang Pengfei
- Craig Steadman 1-4 Yu De Lu
- Hamza Akbar 3-4 Noppon Saengkham
- W/O Anthony McGill v Boonyarit Keanttikun
- Josh Boileau 2-4 Ashley Hugill
- Jack Lisowski v Sean O'Sullivan
- Alfie Burden 3-4 Robert Milkins
- Oliver Lines 4-3 Xu Si
- Billy Joe Castle 4-2 Declan Brennan
- Neil Robertson 4-1 Jamie Jones
- Jimmy White 4-3 Dominic Dale
- Niu Zhuang 4-3 Ian Burns
- Peter Lines 2-4 Ken Doherty
- Liam Highfield 4-3 Mark Davis
- Allan Taylor 2-4 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
- Shaun Murphy 1-4 Chen Zifan
- Hossein Vafaei 4-2 Anthony Hamilton
- Rory McLeod 2-4 Adam Duffy
- Alex Borg 4-3 Peter Ebdon
- Kyren Wilson 1-4 Sam Craigie
- Mark King 4-1 Matthew Bolton
- Mark Allen 4-2 Sanderson Lam
- Lyu Haotian 4-3 Joe Swail
- Mei Xi Wen 4-0 Jordan Brown
- Elliott Slessor 4-0 Kurt Dunham
- Andrew Higginson 1-4 Kurt Mafflin
- Gerard Greene 3-4 Joe Perry
- Ross Muir 4-3 Thor Chuan Leong
Desmond Kane at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast
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