The quarter finals of The Masters get underway on Thursday when the four players in the top half of the draw head back to the Alexandra Palace to play for a place in the semi-finals. The afternoon game sees Neil Robertson meeting Shaun Murphy.
These two have both won this tournament, beating each other in the final, but they meet in the last eight here looking for a spot in the last four of what is rapidly becoming a high quality renewal of this famous invitation event.
Neil Robertson
If the Australian star didn’t think his name might be on the trophy heading into the tournament given that he only got in at the last minute when Ronnie O’Sullivan had withdrawn, he might definitely be thinking it now having recovered from 5-1 down in the opening round against John Higgins to see off the Scot in a deciding frame. He was playing with the house money there and probably is all week so that makes him a very dangerous challenger.
Robertson will need to improve on that performance if he is going to win the tournament but having had a few days to get himself ready for this match which he might not have had given how late he got into the event, you would imagine that there will be some natural improvement in him. Even then, he still made a century and an 80 in his comeback against Higgins so we know his best snooker is in his locker and he isn’t someone to shy away from the latter stages of big events.
Shaun Murphy
The 2015 champion Shaun Murphy arrived at this tournament off the back of a lean couple of months of form but he has been very bullish about his chances in interviews and things so the exhibitions he did in the early part of the month has clearly allowed his confidence to return. A confident Murphy is a dangerous one and the way he blasted out of the blocks against Gary Wilson in the opening round is certainly testament to that.
Murphy ended up winning 6-3 against an out of sorts Wilson but what I liked about the performance was that from 4-0 up and being pegged back to 4-3, he clearly knew that he was playing well and didn’t panic and when his chance finally arrived in the eighth frame he was able to make a century and snuff out the threat of a comeback. If he can repeat how he played in the first round and maybe just add a notch onto the scoring then he isn’t going to be far away here.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THIS TOURNAMENT! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Head-to-head
These two men are familiar opponents of each other. They have met 30 times in their past with Neil Robertson having the better of those battles and he leads 19-11. He also leads 161-144 on the frame count so that will give the Australian confidence. Robertson also leads 6-2 when the pair met in quarter finals in the past and here at The Masters they have played four times with each man having a pair of wins. They have played five previous best of 11 matches and Robertson leads 3-2 so history looks to be on the side of the Australian here.
Betting
History might be on the side of the Australian but he isn’t quite at full pelt to me and I think the prices are a little bit insulting to Shaun Murphy here. There isn’t too much between the two right now but there was certainly a clear assurance of confidence in the interviews that the Englishman gave after his opening match against Gary Wilson. The danger would be that Neil Robertson might feel freed up because he probably feels he shouldn’t be here.
Once the match starts that might change though. I guess the outcome will be determined by who delivers best on the long potting front because you wouldn’t trust either of these in a safety battle. In the past that is why Robertson has got the better of these battles but whether he is playing that well right now I have my doubts. This one could easily go close and ultimately that makes me think that the 11/8 on a Murphy win is a shade too big.
Tips
Back S.Murphy to beat N.Robertson for a 3/10 stake at 2.38 with Bet365
Be the first to comment on "The Masters Snooker 2025 – Neil Robertson vs Shaun Murphy Tips and Betting Preview"