Masters 2026: Reigning champion Shaun Murphy loses to Wu Yize in 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 won the Triple Crown for the second time a year ago by beating Kyren Wilson, lost the opening three frames and although he won the fourth frame, he lost the fifth frame with the black ball.

Wu, 22, is ranked 13th in the world and claimed his first ranked title by winning the International Championship in his home country of Yanjing in November, beating world champions Judd Trump, Zhao Xintong and John Higgins.

In his first match at Alexandra Palace, Wu built a stunning lead of 137 points in the second frame and 56 points in the seventh frame.

He will face current England 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 so enthusiastic,” Wu said.

“After the first frame I felt a little more relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere. It’s definitely a big achievement for me; it’s my first time playing in the Masters and my first time beating Shaun Murphy.”

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

“I’ve been waiting for this day for a year, to walk away as champion, but I enjoyed the first 10 minutes,” said Murphy. “I didn’t play well, it was definitely the worst performance of my season, maybe the worst of the Masters.

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

“Wu looked calm, he looked relaxed and he totally deserved his win. He’ll be a handful for everyone he plays with.”