'Superstar' Wu Yize delivers 'magic' performance to knock out 'gutted' Shaun Murphy in Masters opener

The 2026 Masters kicked off with a major upset as defending champion Shaun Murphy was dumped out of the event by Wu Yize. It was a dominant performance from the youngster and TNT Sports pundit Jimmy White was hugely impressed with how he dominated the 2005 world champion at Alexandra Palace. Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Masters, live on TNT Sports and discovery+

‘Went in like a thunderbolt’ - Wu pulls off wild fluke

Video credit: TNT Sports

Jimmy White said "superstar" Wu Yize "has got everything" after he made a silk-smooth Masters debut with a win over defending champion Shaun Murphy.

Wu dominated throughout, with the highlight being a 137 total clearance in a 6-2 win at Alexandra Palace.

Murphy described his display as "inexplicable", while White suggested it was a "magic" performance from the 22-year-old Wu.

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"Murphy was not really at the races, even at the end of the match," White said in the TNT Sports Studio. "He [Wu] has got this great confidence."

Breaking down the closing pots of the eighth frame, White said: "This red is to win the match. Murphy should not have left him it, but it's what I like about his style - it's attacking. He played to lift the red, he then had a tricky pink and it was, bang, in the centre of the pocket.

"He has that much confidence in his game that there is so much value in taking them on.

"It was a really good performance from a debutant. He has magic, that's why we love watching him play.

"He is a superstar and even though he had a total clearance in the match, there were a few mistakes in there and he will work on them. This boy has got everything."

‘A Masters debut to savour’ - Wu wraps up win over Murphy

Video credit: TNT Sports

Murphy: I am gutted

Murphy warmly congratulated Wu at the conclusion of the match, but had no explanation for his own display.

"I am gutted," Murphy told TNT Sports. "Totally gutted to have played so poorly. It is not the loss, it’s the way you lose.

"I have looked forward to today for 12 months, walking down those steps. I enjoyed the first quarter of an hour. After that, it was very unpleasant.

"Nothing I touched went right, everything went wrong, and no part of my game was any good.

"It was inexplicable. I will go away and try and figure it out, but sport is not an exact science. We are humans, and sometimes you have a bad day.

"We make mistakes. That does not reflect the amount of preparation I put in for today and hopefully I am building for something better."

‘It was inexplicable’ - Murphy reflects on loss to Wu

Video credit: TNT Sports

Paying credit to Wu, Murphy added: "He played really well on his debut. He's a wonderful player and I was no match for him today."

White felt Murphy paid the price for his long potting being below its usual standard.

"That [long potting] is his strength," White said. "If they are not going in, you have only to look at the table and where it is leaving Wu in.

"This is his strength, he puts players’ safety under pressure, but he just was not at the races with his long potting.

"He just was not confident in his long potting today and that is his strength. When they are not going in, you leave it very easy for your opponent."

Wu’s reward for toppling Murphy is a meeting with either Mark Selby or Xiao Guodong in the quarter-finals.

Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Masters, live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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