Favourite O’Sullivan through despite Ding 147

O’Sullivan moves to quarter-finals
Magnificent maximum not enough to save Ding
Win for Carter over Williams

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In a compelling first-round match at Alexandra Palace, Ding Junhui produced a sublime 147 maximum break against Ronnie O’Sullivan. Despite Ding’s remarkable effort, he succumbed to a 6-3 defeat in the Masters, marking his second 147 at this prestigious event and the fourth ever recorded. The illustrious list includes Kirk Stevens in 1984 and Marco Fu in 2015.

O’Sullivan secures last eight place, despite superb maximum from Ding

Ding’s exceptional performance allowed him to claw back from a 4-0 deficit to trail 4-3, but O’Sullivan eventually pulled clear to secure his place in the quarter-finals – his 25th appearance in this stage of the Masters.

Meanwhile, in another first-round clash, 2020 finalist Ali Carter emerged victorious with a 6-4 win over two-time Masters winner Mark Williams.

Ding, who first achieved a Masters 147 as a teenager in 2007, received a standing ovation from the packed auditorium for what marked his seventh career maximum break. The match, initially one-sided until the mid-session interval, briefly threatened to deliver a thrilling finale.

The encounter between Ding and O’Sullivan mirrored their previous hard-fought bout in the UK Championship final. However, the first four frames had an exhibition feel, with O’Sullivan averaging just over 15 seconds per shot. Despite Ding’s opportunities in the early frames, O’Sullivan capitalized on his opponent’s errors, making breaks of 67, 87, and 106 to establish a commanding lead.

O’Sullivan continued to demonstrate his fine scoring touch with subsequent breaks of 127 and 93, sealing the victory. Despite Ding’s runs of 61, 92, and his impressive 147, he remains winless against ‘The Rocket’ in Masters meetings.

The match between Carter and Williams had its share of scrappy moments in the opening frames, but a break of 93 by Williams after the interval set the tone. Carter responded with breaks of 118 and 133, taking the lead before Williams squared things with an 86. Williams’ missed opportunities, including routine pots, proved costly as Carter secured the ninth and 10th frames with two more half-centuries.

Masters Betting

At the time of writing, O’Sullivan is the bookies’ favourite to win the Masters. Unibet have the “Rocket” priced at 9/4 ahead of Judd Trump, 3/1, Mark Selby, 13/2 and Shaun Murphy, 9/1.

After DIng’s superb maximum, punters may be speculating on whether there will be another 147 in the tournament. Ladbrokes are offering 1/5 on there not being two or more 147s and 10/3 on there being two or more 147s in the tournament.