TNT Sports
Shanghai Masters recap – Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy through after Zhang Anda sets up Ding Junhui clash
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Updated 28/07/2025 at 15:52 GMT+1
After Stephen Maguire secured victory in the Championship League earlier in the summer, the snooker action sparks into life with the Shanghai Masters. Judd Trump is the defending champion, while Zhao Xintong will be making his first tournament appearance since winning the World Championship at the Crucible. Ronnie O'Sullivan is due to get his season underway in a tournament he has won five times.
Watch: Top 10 shots of 2025 World Snooker Championship
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A fine performance from Neil Robertson saw him open his season with an excellent win over a difficult opponent in Pang Junxu.
He began with a terrific total clearance, added a second century in frame two, and though a surprising miss meant no third consecutive ton, he added another in frame five after Pang compiled a total clearance of his own.
From 4-1, there seemed no chance Robertson could lose, and though Pang then closed the gap to two, another big break took him one away. Looking to finish the match, though, The Thunder overcut a green, only for Pang to take the lead, miss a pink for the frame, and find himself in a snooker; it took him four goes to escape, in the process he handed Robertson the lead, and the Australian soon finished a match he dominated from start to finish. Next for him: a potential thriller against Judd Trump.
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'It's a blow' - Robertson misses red in sixth frame
Video credit: TNT Sports
Neil Robertson beats Pang Junxu 6-2
Down it goes, and that was impressive stuff from The Thunder, against a difficult opponent; next for him it's Judd Trump. Nice!
Robertson 5-2 Pang (61-53)
Neil lays another snooker, this time the length of the table, Pang hits ... and leaves a dolly. This for the match, the call to eschew the harder pot fully justified.
Robertson 5-2 Pang (61-53)
Pang hits ... but leaves a double to middle. This for the match, with the potential of a snooker, again using the black, if he misses. here goes Neil, he's close ... but he clips the near jaw and the ball stays out. This time, Pang escapes first go, and Neil refuses the long pot, waiting for something better.
Robertson 5-2 Pang (61-53)
Neil plays a cunning shot, leaving black between white and pink; trying not to leave a pot on, Pang misses his escape, then again, and this match is slipping away. So he goes a third time, misses by even more, and suddenly, from needing the pink for the frame, if he misses the fourth go, he'll need a snooker! This game!
Robertson 5-2 Pang (43-53)
Blue across the table to comes back to the same side and get behind the pink; he goes off two cushions but a poor shot leaves a brutal pot which he might refuse. Nope, he takes it on, undercuts, misses ... and it stops on the left side-rail, the white near the green pocket; he'd have taken that when the ball stayed out.
Robertson 5-2 Pang (43-41)
Pang pauses as he considers a straight, diagonal red to middle, the biggest shot of the match so far ... and he clunks is down very nicely. The pink, though, isn't far off the side cushion and he'll need it, so the frame isn't his yet.
Robertson 5-2 Pang (43-27)
Carefully, Neil removes balls – he wants this over. There are no demons on the table, but as I type he tucks in behind a red on the baulk, rail, overcuts it, and it stays out of the green bag, but in the jaws! A reprieve for Pang!
Robertson 5-2 Pang (33-26)
Pang goes hard at a straight black to left corner, it pops out when really it shouldn't have been given the chance too, and Neil has a chance to finish things.
Robertson 5-2 Pang (32-4)
From near the top rail, Pang slides a very nice opener into right-middle, and the way the balls are, he's a chance to score ... but if he misses one, he's surely done.
Robertson 5-2 Pang (32-1)
The reds are tightly packed, but Neil gets a nice angle on the black to open them, and the fan out beautifully. If he can sink the next red and get on a colour, it's game over; the former goes down, but he needs to ease in a taxing cut-back black ... and he does. But another good shot is required to keep the run going; he opts not to bother, playing safe instead.
Robertson 5-2 Pang (9-1)
Pang gets going with a nice long red, but he can't sink brown to middle when really he should, and though there are only a few loose reds, he'll be worried he's played his final shot in this competition.
Robertson 5-2 Pang
Ach, Neil misses a straight yellow, so no century, but he's a frame away; Pang needs four on the spin. Good luck with that, old mate.
Robertson 4-2 Pang (66-0)
Neil will fancy himself a third ton as he secures the frame – he's currently on 985 for his career, below just Ronnie and Judd in the all-time list.
Robertson 4-2 Pang (59-0)
Breaking pack off black, Neil digs in hard as you like, and the frame is now at his mercy.
Robertson 4-2 Pang (27-0)
Neil picks off loose balls, the black passes to both corners unobstructed, and, on table two, Si Jiahui has finished off his match against Xinbo Wang, winning 6-4.
Robertson 4-2 Pang (1-0)
Oh, Pang. Seeking a thin contact, he leaves a red across the table, Neil sends it down and gives himself a choice of colours,and this is a chance to score.
Robertson 4-2 Pang
Looking to develop a red and make a century, Pang misses a pot, but he closes the gap to two and is currently the better player.
Robertson 4-1 Pang (0-76)
First securing the frame, Pang then picks out a plant inside the pack to the excitement of the crowd, and it's now three frames since Neil played well.
Robertson 4-1 Pang (0-63)
Pang's worked this break out really well, keeping calm when in tricky situations, and here's another, a red across the table cut to right corner ... which he sinks nicely. The frame will surely be his.
Robertson 4-1 Pang (0-42)
Pang gently guides the white into the pack off the black, he's on one to middle, and from here should narrow the deficit.
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'What a fluke!' - Robertson gets lucky in fifth frame
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Robertson 4-1 Pang (0-15)
A poor break-off from Neil leaves one to right-centre, and Pang, who must surely win this frame, gets himself going. He breaks the pack off a cut-back black, which means plenty of options, but also that he daren't miss.
On table two
Shaun Murphy 6-0 Fuyuan Han
Robertson 4-1 Pang
Left a blue to right corner, Neil makes sure of the frame with another decent pot, and at the end of the first scrappy frame of the match, he's two away from round two.
Robertson 3-1 Pang (55-33)
...and down it goes, white in behind brown. Neil dispatches that too and, not on the blue, plays safe, leaving Pang needing a snooker.
Robertson 3-1 Pang (51-33)
Green with the rest to drop in behind that brown ... and Neil gets nicely on it ... but misses the pot! A lifeline for Pang, who lays a nice snooker behind the pink, white in the jaws of right corner; Neil escapes well fluking a snooker of his own, and the the return-escape allows him a go across the table, green to left-middle...
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'It's a handy fluke' - Pang accidentally pots red in fifth frame against Robertson
Video credit: TNT Sports
Robertson 3-1 Pang (41-33)
And it's Neil who makes it, going hard at a longun to right corner, missing by plenty ... and it only slides down the table and into the green bag. This game, I don't know. He does knock a ball safe, but he gets behind it and caresses a beauty into the yellow pocket, the frame now there for him. He'll need a red along the top rail, but he bumps it down, meaning the brown, just above the baulk cushion, is the only difficult shot remaining.
Robertson 3-1 Pang (26-33)
But no. He runs out position again, opting to eschew a pink to middle and play safe off the brown instead. I get why he did that, but the next mistake loses the frame...
Robertson 3-1 Pang (26-32)
Pang tickles a nice cut into left corner to keep the run going, but after a positional error he's chasing, a kiss off the yellow makes the next ball more difficult ... and he clips a terrific recovery from centre to right corner. From here, he should do enough.
Robertson 3-1 Pang (26-14)
Gosh, Neil misses a sitter of a pink to right corner, overcutting for no reason, and just as 4-1 looked likely, he hands Pang a decent opportunity. If he loses this, that'll be a moment at which he looks back ruefully.
Robertson 3-1 Pang (12-13)
Pang takes on a plant across the table to left corner, misses, and leaves Neil a pretty decent opportunity – if he can slot his opener. He does too, and there are loads of free reds, but work to do because pink and black need freeing.
Robertson 3-1 Pang (4-13)
Oooh, Pang flukes a plant to left corner, but is he on a colour? He is not, and increasingly, this looks like being a crucial frame. If he finds a way of winning it, we've a match, but if he loses it, it's a long way back - on which point, Murphy won the final frame of the mini-sesh on table two, so leads Fuyuan 4-0.
Robertson 3-1 Pang (4-12)
A decent safety from Pang eaves Neil stuck on the baulk rail without an obvious safety; he misses his chosen red twice, then finds another to roll into, almost sending it down but leaving nowt. He'll take that.
Robertson 3-1 Pang (4-4)
When Neil plays to the top rail, Pang sinks a nice starter, adds a green across the table, goes hard at a long diag ... misses ... and splatters the pack. no doubt he was feeling confident after the TC in frame four, but he's in trouble again now, all the more so when an infelicitous kiss leaves Neil a taxing green, whuch he sinks anyroad. But another undesired cannon comaes to Pang's resuce and, with no next ball, he plays back to the bottom cushion.
We go again
On table two
Shaun Murphy 3-0 Fuyuan Han
Robertson 3-1 Pang
Yes he can, a cut-back red to right corner drawing whoops from the Shanghai crowd. Then, when he can't get at a yellow, he goes lefty, slots it nicely, and goes on to complate a 131 TC. Off we go to the break, the contest still alive.
Robertson 3-0 Pang (0-71)
Pang secures the frame and will take the interval in better heart. Can he make the match's third ton in four frames?
Robertson 3-0 Pang (0-47)
This is good from Pang, careful accumulation followed by an opening of the pack. There are no demons on the table now, and it'd take a pretty significant error for him not to clinch the frame at this visit.
Robertson 3-0 Pang (0-26)
He bangs in a nice red to left corner, accidentally clips another which helps promote the black, the next ball is rammed into the yellow bag, and Pang will feel like he's into the match now. But he'll also know that any miss could mean 4-0 and being almost out of it.
Robertson 3-0 Pang (0-6)
Pang goes at one to left corner, hoping to take it from centre, but he attempts it as a shot to nothing so when it stays out, he's in alright shape. Neil,m though, quite likes the look of a longun to right corner, unloads the suitcase, and gets nowhere near. He knew that might happen, so brought the white back to baulk ... problem being that with it came a red; chance for Pang to begin addressing his arrears.
On table two
Shaun Murphy 2-0 Fuyuan Han
Robertson 3-0 Pang
Oh! Neil misses a pretty simple blue to middle, but he won't mind too much; he's halfway to round two.
Robertson 2-0 Pang (68-1)
Fouldsy reckons the Shaghai pockets are pretty generous, helpful for a potter like Neil. Those two reds I mentioned earlier, though, are now in the conversation, as they stand between him and a third ton on the spin.
Robertson 2-0 Pang (48-1)
As expected, Neil removes balls. There's work yet to do, a pair of reds stuck together protecting right corner, but it shouldn't be too difficult for other balls to be sent into other pockets.
Robertson 2-0 Pang (25-1)
Neil's riposte is good enough to force Pang into another thin contact, he leaves a nasty one across the table ... and down it goes across the table, the shot of a man in stroke. A cut-back black follows, there's claret all over, and already, this is another frame-winning opportunity.
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'That's a statement of intent' - Robertson hits 137 break in first frame against Pang
Video credit: TNT Sports
Robertson 2-0 Pang (8-1)
Not for long: uncowed, Pang takes on another starter almost the full diag of the table, down it goes, and is he on the black? Urgh, not quite, so it's a safety off the green and on to the baulk rail.
Robertson 2-0 Pang (8-0)
A tactical start to frame three, Pang twice missing his skinny one, and the warning comes so, as many do in this situation, he takes on a long pot. Sadly for him, though, he can't force into left corner ... but he leaves nowt, so we're back playing safety.
On table two
Shaun Murphy 2-0 Fuyuan Han
Robertson 2-0 Pang
...and of course he nails it. There's not much better than watching The Thunder in full flight, and he's getting there, laying down a marker, not just for today but for the season.
Robertson 1-0 Pang (90-8)
Neil secures the frame, and it's the colours for the ton...
Robertson 1-0 Pang (51-8)
Neil accumulates and, with all remaining reds open, there's no reason to think he won't secure this frame with a second century. Already, Pang is under pressure: he won't want to go three behind in a race to six.
Robertson 1-0 Pang (34-8)
Problem being he leaves himself a tight cut to left corner, coming at a red across the table; he can't sneak it down, so Neil returns to the table a relieved man. There is, though, work to do, with fewer reds available ... so he digs into the pack off a red dismissed with the rest, and this is what we want to see: risk-taking from one of the most natural cueists we've ever seen. Very quickly, he fashions a reprieve into a frame-winning opportunity.
Robertson 1-0 Pang (22-1)
...but just as he looks set for another big contribution, he jiggers a red to right-centre, and now Pang has a chance to score.
Robertson 1-0 Pang (14-0)
Pang leaves a cut-back to left corner and Neil slots it nicely – he knew he'd be careering into the bunch, but he backed himself to take it on, and gets to work once more. There are a few easy reds available to get him going...
On table two
Shaun Murphy 1-0 Fuyuan Han
Robertson 1-0 Pang
Near-perfection from Neil, a total clearance of 137, and he's into the season.
Robertson 0-0 Pang (81-0)
Frame in the bag, Neil is ton-hunting; not many love that accomplishment more than he does, but can he liberate a red by potting another stuck to it? Yes he can!
Robertson 0-0 Pang (67-0)
This lovely stuff from Neil, whose action is flowing; he's not hitting anything too hard, nor having to address any recovery-pots, and the frame will shortly be his.
Robertson 0-0 Pang (45-0)
Neil builds, and it's so good to see him enjoying his snooker. He won two ranking titles last term, the English Open and the World Grand Prix; this time around, I'm sure he'll be hoping to improve in the majors, especially as one of very few to have claimed all three triple crown events. Points are coming quickly now...
Robertson 0-0 Pang (15-0)
Pang overcuts to left-middle so Neil gets away to left corner, wobbling one home, adding the blue, and he's in. The black goes to both top pockets, he takes it as his second colour, and so far this is a nice start to the season for The Thunder.
And off we go!
Here comes the ref, and just behind him, our players
On table two, we have Shaun Murphy v Fuyuan Han.
Biggup Bazza
Hello again
And what a lovely match we have awaiting us. Neil Robertson, one of the greats and on the way back after a lean time, takes on Pang Junxu, who improved rapidly last season. This should be a lot of fun.
Zhang Anda snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in a thrilling first-round clash against Yuan Sijun at the Shanghai Masters.
After leading 3-0 thanks to breaks of 139, 67 and 116, Zhang looked set for the exit door when his opponent sized up a match-winning final black in the 10th frame, but he was offered a reprieve and seized it.
Zhang forced the decider and produced a clutch break of 79 to get over the line and set up an all-Chinese second-round clash against Ding Junhui.
Yuan will be left rueing what was an excellent chance to pull off a stunning comeback. Few would have been able to live with Zhang in the early exchanges, but from 3-0 down, the 25-year-old dug deep to win five of six frames and move within one of victory.
But he snookered himself trying to get from black to yellow with the winning line in sight before later missing a tough black for the win.
Elsewhere on a dramatic first day in Shanghai, Barry Hawkins advanced to face Ronnie O’Sullivan after becoming the 15th player in history to hit 500 professional centuries during a 6-4 triumph over Wu Yize.
Chris Wakelin also made it through the first round, beating wildcard Zhou Jinhao 6-3.
The stars of snooker are all out in Shanghai as the new season kicks off with a bang, and you can follow all the action live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Zhang 6-5 Yuan
Zhang wins a remarkable match 6-5 with a clutch break of 79 in the decider.
The highs and lows of snooker were all on display in one enthralling contest. Yuan will be kicking himself after having a gilt-edged chance for victory in the 10th frame, but it’s Zhang who is through to take on Ding Junhui in the second round.
Zhang 5-5 Yuan (52-1)
Zhang is going along nicely here. The black is tied up but the pink is there and there are enough reds in open play to get him over the line.
No excuse from here.
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'What a brilliant shot!' - Zhang pots the green in style
Video credit: TNT Sports
Zhang 5-5 Yuan (18-1)
Yuan takes on an ambitious red but misses so wildly there is a half chance for Zhang. The extensions are out but he is able to cut the red in to get going.
All you want in a decider is one chance and that’s what Zhang has – can he produce the goods?
Zhang 5-5 Yuan (0-1)
It’s fittingly tense out there. Zhang has a chance at an opening red but jaws it, leaving his opponent an opportunity. Yuan makes no mistake but the slightest of kisses on a red leaves him hampered on both the blue and pink.
He is, therefore, forced to play safe and can count himself a little unlucky as he walks back to his chair.
Zhang 5-5 Yuan
What drama! After doing the hard work, Yuan astonishingly snookers himself trying to get from black to yellow. He manages to hit it but leaves it over the left middle for Zhang. The only good thing is he’s knocked the green and brown safe.
Zhang pots the yellow and gets close to the green before pulling off an incredible shot down the side rail and screwing back for the brown. He clears to the pink but misses the black for the frame.
Yuan has a half chance for victory but can’t take it. Worse still, he’s left Zhang a sitter. We are going all the way!
Zhang 4-5 Yuan (41-39)
It’s very nervy out there. Zhang pulls out some nice pots to keep the break going but his cue ball control has gone and it eventually costs him. A tough cut-back on a red near the bottom cushion misses and hangs over the pocket.
Yuan has to play a swerve but gets the red to fall and then pots a superb pink. A red with the rest puts him in perfect position, so it’s in his hands once again.
Zhang 4-5 Yuan (20-17)
After playing a telling safety, Yuan is gifted a chance by Zhang. The balls are sitting nicely – could Zhang have played his last shot?
Wow, Yuan misses an absolute sitter of a pink. What a let-off for Zhang.
"It was that easy he just completely took it for granted," a stunned McManus says.
Over to you, Zhang.
Zhang 4-5 Yuan (12-1)
Both players miss half chances before Zhang clips a red into the left middle to get going. But he can’t make a meaningful contribution and misses a fairly straightforward red on 12.
McManus thinks it’s a confidence issue for Zhang after a disappointing previous season.
Zhang 4-5 Yuan
All the momentum is with Yuan. He gets the next chance and takes the balls well, but on the verge of closing the frame out he misses a simple red.
Zhang returns trailing by 70 ahead with just 67 remaining but can’t lay any snookers as Yuan nails a red to make it 5-4. What a turnaround!
Zhang 4-4 Yuan (0-22)
Yuan has an early chance in frame nine – can he take it to lead for the first time in the match? After decelerating on the black, he doesn’t get the grab on the cue ball and runs out of position. That was careless.
He goes for an ambitious plant but it doesn’t drop.
Wakelin wins 6-3
The other match is over as Wakelin completes a 6-3 win over wildcard Zhou. The reward for the Englishman is a meeting with world champion Zhao Xintong in the last 16.
Zhang 4-4 Yuan
Yuan makes a frame-winning break of 79 to level things up again. Brilliant stuff from the 25-year-old, who has shown tremendous patience and resilience after the early onslaught.
It’s now a best of three.
Zhang 4-3 Yuan (13-13)
Zhang gets the first chance of the eighth frame but breaks down on 13. He then leaves a red over the top-left bag from a safety. Yuan pots it and finds the gap between the baulk colours to land perfectly on the green.
There are some loose reds to play on here before he’ll need to go into the bunch. This is a nice chance.
Wakelin 5-3 Zhou (58-32)
Checking back in with the other table. Zhou won the eighth frame to keep his hopes alive but Wakelin is at the table with a great chance to move into the next round.
Zhang 4-3 Yuan
Zhang pots a tricky yellow, green and brown to get his nose ahead once again. That could prove pivotal.
Zhang 3-3 Yuan (52-36)
This has turned into a tense and potentially vital frame. Yuan gets the next chance and closes within 16 points of Zhang before the latter flukes a snooker.
We’re onto the colours, which are all out in the open barring the black.
Zhang 3-3 Yuan (52-1)
After losing the last three frames, Zhang looks to immediately move ahead again. He races to 50 but has to play safe after his attempt to split the pack from the blue goes awry.
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'That is awesome' - Zhang pots long red in fourth frame
Video credit: TNT Sports
Wakelin 5-2
After looking like he could have also been pulled back to 3-3 on table two, Wakelin is now just one away from victory after a break of 61 in the seventh frame.
Zhang 3-3 Yuan
Zhang clears the reds and is faced with the prospect of a tough pink to middle to try and get on the yellow that is on the cushion. He pots it but ends up snookered on the yellow behind the black.
Yuan takes control of the subsequent safety battle and is left a great chance to take the frame and level the contest. He leaves himself a little awkward on frame-ball pink but he steadies himself to pour it in the middle and make it 3-3.
Zhang 3-2 Yuan (41-45)
Zhang pots what McManus describes as a "classy" red along the top rail to give himself another chance to eat into his deficit.
After two reds and pinks, he pots a stunning red and blue to keep things going. He really can make the game look easy when in full flow. There is one red stuck on the top cushion that is likely to be the key to the frame.
Zhang 3-2 Yuan (7-45)
And that opportunity falls Zhang’s way. The balls have run a little awkward now though, so he can only manage seven points after an attempt to develop a couple of reds doesn’t go as planned.
Zhang quickly shakes off the disappointment to play a superb safety.
Zhang 3-2 Yuan (0-45)
The commentator’s curse strikes again. A canon into the bunch leaves the reds all blocking each other and means it's end of break for Yuan.
With everything out in the open, whoever gets the next big chance will be the favourite for the frame.
Zhang 3-2 Yuan (0-37)
It’s all Yuan now. He pots a great opening red and then an even better blue to get in. Even the run of the ball seems to be favouring the 25-year-old.
He keeps the break going with a nice mid-range green that lands perfectly on the next red.
"He’s in stroke now," says Alan McManus on commentary.
Wakelin 4-2 Zhou
Wakelin is two ahead once again. Both players had chances in the frame but a break of 45 gets the Englishman over the line.
He is now just two away from victory.
Zhang's opening century
A reminder of how Zhang hit the ground running in this match, compiling a brilliant 139 century break to take the opening frame.
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'Magnificent!' - Zhang hits classy 139 century break in Shanghai Masters opener
Video credit: TNT Sports
Zhang 3-2 Yuan
Yuan refuses to take on frame-ball black with the rest, instead opting to try and nudge the yellow safe and snooker his opponent. It’s a bold strategy and could easily backfire, but he gets away with it when Zhang leaves the last red over the right middle.
Yuan cuts it in and Zhang concedes.
Zhang 3-1 Yuan (32-64)
A sublime opening red is followed by a delicate cut-back on the brown as Yuan responds. He is taking these really well and is a few pots away from securing his second frame in a row.
Wakelin 3-2 Zhou
Zhou takes a scrappy fifth frame to reduce his arrears to one on table two.
Zhang 3-1 Yuan (32-0)
Zhang is immediately back in the balls as he looks to reassert his dominance. He gets to 32 in a flash but runs out of position when he tries to split the pack from the black.
Wakelin 3-1 Zhou
The scoreline is the same on the other table. Wakelin leads Zhou 3-1 after a break of 83 in the fourth frame, with that match already back underway after their interval.
The winner here will play world champion Zhao Xintong in the next round.
Zhang 3-1 Yuan
Zhang makes a mistake and has had enough of this frame. He concedes and the pair head off for their mid-session interval.
It was all Zhang early but could the momentum have shifted?
Zhang 3-0 Yuan (9-56)
It’s gone incredibly scrappy. Yuan picks off a red to put himself 48 points ahead with 51 remaining and edge towards the winning line.
And his opponent helps him further after accidentally potting a red while trying to play safe. With no chance of potting a colour, that leaves Zhang in snookers required territory.
Zhang 3-0 Yuan (8-55)
Zhang nail another superb long red – he’s cueing fantastically well. A good black follows but he goes in off on the next red.
Yuan takes on a tough red but can’t get it to go, with the pair now embroiled in a safety battle.
Zhang 3-0 Yuan (0-51)
It’s gone wrong. After doing all the hard work, Yuan carelessly loses position. He is forced to just cosy up to a red, allowing Zhang back to the table.
He is still the favourite for the frame but he really should have won it in one visit.
Zhang 3-0 Yuan (0-15)
The balls are scattered early in the fourth frame. Yuan is stuck on the bottom cushion but finally benefits from a slice of luck. Forced to pot his way out of trouble, the red to middle flicks off another on its way into the pocket.
Can he make this chance count?
Wakelin 2-1 Zhou
After losing the second frame following a break of 56 from Zhou, Wakelin takes the third to move ahead once again. Both matches are being played at a great pace, so there should be no risk of a delay ahead of the third and final session of the day.
Zhang 3-0 Yuan
He might be getting the run of the ball, but Zhang is making the most of it. His second century of the match – a total clearance of 116 – makes it 3-0.
It’s an onslaught so far. The next frame is huge for Yuan.
Zhang 2-0 Yuan (27-0)
Zhang’s long potting has been superb so far. After being left a half chance off the break, he brilliantly slots a red and then nails a brown into the left middle.
Another tricky red and black follow, but he soon runs out of position and jaws a difficult half-ball red.
Unfortunately for Yuan, he is left only a possible plant to get going, which ends up hanging over the bag for his opponent. It’s one-way traffic here.
Zhang 2-0 Yuan
Yuan sticks a red over the bottom-right corner, leaving Zhang the simplest of openers. A break of 67 puts him 2-0 to the good and in control of the contest.
Zhang 1-0 Yuan (58-1)
Zhang misses a red along the rail, so Yuan has his first chance of the match. He trails by 58 points when he comes to the table, but there are still 10 reds left after the early flurry of fouls.
However, he can only manage a single point after missing a tricky pink.
Wakelin 1-0 Zhou
On the other table, world No. 16 Chris Wakelin has won the first frame against Zhou Jinhao and is at the table with a chance to double his lead.
Zhang 1-0 Yuan (51-0)
A brilliant safety leaves Yuan snookered behind the yellow. He hits the pink with his first four attempted escapes, the last of which leaves Zhang a chance at a red.
He takes it and is back in the balls but it is not an easy table as it stands.
Zhang 1-0 Yuan (13-0)
Zhang drills a superb long red into the bottom-left bag. However, he is forced to just tuck in behind the green, which doesn’t pass the brown.
Yuan concedes three four-point fouls, but he eventually makes the necessary adjustment to hit the reds and leave the white safe.
Zhang 1-0 Yuan
What a start. Zhang completes a 139 total clearance to lay down a strong early marker. It came from one mistake from Yuan, which Zhang punished to the fullest.
Zhang 0-0 Yuan (78-0)
Zhang develops the black and the remaining few reds in the pack, leaving everything out in the open and little needing done with the cue ball.
Still, they have to be taken, and Zhang is doing that surgically. He is a classy operator in these situations.
The frame is over - can he make the century?
Zhang 0-0 Yuan (24-0)
Zhang has made a promising start here and is among the balls, which are sitting nicely. The big obstacle at the moment is the black, which doesn’t go to the bottom-left corner and is tough to get on to the opposite corner.
Hello and welcome
Welcome to our live coverage of the Shanghai Masters. We'll be focusing on Zhang Anda v Yuan Sijun and Chris Wakelin v Jinhao Zhou this morning, but there has already been a match completed, while another hangs in the balance.
England's Barry Hawkins completed an impressive 6-4 win over Wu Yize, becoming the 15th player to reach 500 professional centuries in the process. Elsewhere, Si Jiahui holds a 5-4 lead against Xinbo Wang, with the pair to come back later to resume their clash.
Welcome to day one
The 2025/26 snooker season kicks into gear with the Shanghai Masters getting underway on Monday.
The live action on TNT Sports and discovery+ kicks off with local favourites Zhang Anda and Yuan Sijun.
Chris Wakelin is also in action from 7am UK time, while Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy get their challenges rolling later in the day against Pang Junxu and Han Fuyuan respectively.
You can tune in on TNT Sports and discovery+, while we will have live text commentary throughout the event.
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Watch and stream top snooker action, including the Shanghai Masters, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+
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