Summary Defending champion Murphy crashed out of the Masters at the first hurdle after losing to Mark Allen.
LONDON (AFP) - Defending champion Shaun Murphy crashed out of the Masters at the first hurdle after losing to Mark Allen in his opening match at London s Alexandra Palace on Sunday.
Englishman Murphy, who defeated Neil Robertson in last year s final, came back from 5-2 down to 5-4, but Northern Ireland s Allen secured the 10th frame to complete a scrappy 6-4 victory.
He will face either Barry Hawkins or Joe Perry in the quarter-finals.
"Shaun is the defending champion here, under a lot of pressure, and it was a big match for me, playing him on the big stage," said Allen.
"I m very happy with the way I played. I scored heavily, took my chances well and got over the line in the end."
Allen took control by winning the third frame with a break of 137 and made it 4-2 when Murphy forfeited the frame following three misses.
Another century of 104 allowed Allen to swell his lead to 5-2 and although Murphy responded with a break of 100 in the ninth frame, he could not complete his comeback.
Afterwards, Murphy defended his decision to attempt the same shot for a third time in the sixth frame, despite the fact the three misses meant that he automatically lost the frame.
"It s the rule," he told the World Snooker website. "You don t see it very often. Normally you would look for an alternative on the third go. I couldn t see a Plan B.
"All other options left him a guaranteed chance so I had to man up, take a deep breath and play the right shot. Unfortunately I got it completely wrong.
"Did I lose the match because of it? No, I don t think so. There were plenty of other frames.
"I thought it was a really good match played in very good spirit. That match could have been the final of any tournament. Unfortunately for me it was the first round and I m on my way home."
