Masters Debutant Xiao stuns Selby as Wu dethrones Murphy

Xiao Guodong enjoyed a Masters debut to remember, as he defeated three-time champion Mark Selby 6-2 at Alexandra Palace on Sunday.

It was an opening day of shock results in the season’s second Triple Crown, with reigning champion Shaun Murphy seeing his title defence ended by another Chinese player making his Masters bow in Wu Yize.

Xiao came flying out of the blocks, with breaks of 95, 62, 76 and 77 giving him a commanding 4-0 lead at the mid-session interval.

Selby, fresh from back-to-back triumphs at the Champion of Champions and UK Championship, threatened another trademark comeback when runs of 101 and 76 reduced his deficit to 4-2.

However, the three-time champion’s momentum suddenly halted when he missed a routine blue to the right centre in frame seven, allowing Xiao to move to the brink of victory with an impressive 118 clearance.

The Chinese was presented another opportunity in the following frame after Selby missed a tricky yellow, and calmly cleared to the pink to book his place in the quarter-finals.

“When the draw came out, I knew this would be a very tough game, especially as Mark has recently won two big tournaments,” Xiao said. “Perhaps, nobody thought I could win. I just told myself to be confident and enjoy it.

“In the first four frames, I put Mark under pressure and didn’t miss many balls. But I knew he would come back. The seventh frame was very important and when he missed the blue, I made a century. At 4-3, it would have been very different.”

“I didn’t have many chances in the first four frames, Xiao played really well,” added Selby, who has now lost 14 of his last 20 matches at the Masters. “Then at 4-2, I was trying to grip the blue to hold for the red, flicked a bit of side on it and missed it.

“If I had won that frame, I would have fancied winning the match because I had the momentum. But Xiao did what he did all night, punished my mistakes.

“I am gutted because I came here feeling good and playing well. Even though I have lost, I still feel good about my game.”

𝗔 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘁 🙇‍♂️ #TheMasters pic.twitter.com/7UtrBZKUVl

— Live Snooker (@Livesnooker) January 11, 2026

Earlier in the day, Murphy became the third reigning Masters champion in four editions to lose the opening match of his title defence.

The Magician also went down 6-2 against an inspired Wu, who is one of a record five Chinese players in this year’s draw.

The International Championship winner hit a top break of 137 on the way to a 3-1 lead, before clearing from the last red from 61-34 behind to pinch frame five on the black.

Murphy – aiming to become only the fifth player to successfully defend the Masters crown – reduced his arrears to 4-2 with runs of 42 and 36.

However, a contribution of 56 put Wu back in control at 5-2 up. Then, at 50-23 down in the following frame, he produced a lovely clearance of 44 to seal victory on the pink.

“Coming down the stairs at the start of the match, it was exactly the stage I had dreamed of as a child,” the Chinese said. “I felt proud of myself, to say the least. I was a bit lost in that moment.

“I played some good shots, but there were also some terrible mistakes. When it came down to crucial moments, I think my consistency gave me a slight edge in a few situations, and helped me to win.”

Murphy added: “I’ve looked forward to today since last year. It was the worst performance of my season, and maybe my worst ever performance at the Masters. I’m gutted, very below-par.

“Everything I touched went wrong. None of my game performed well, but I’ve got absolutely no idea why.

“I’ve been working hard on my game, practising hard, playing a lot of snooker since the UK Championship, I didn’t expect to play like that. I’m as shocked as anyone.”

3️⃣ of the last 4️⃣ players to defend #TheMasters title have fallen at the first hurdle ❌ pic.twitter.com/vzjx8hxR4v

— Live Snooker (@Livesnooker) January 11, 2026

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Masters Snooker 2026 | Day One Results

Sunday January 11

Round One

Shaun Murphy 2-6 Wu Yize
Mark Selby 2-6 Xiao Guodong