Shaun Murphy missed out on a maximum 147 break as he secured a place in the semi-finals of the Masters with a superb 6-2 victory over Neil Robertson at Alexandra Palace.
Leading 5-2, Murphy knocked in 15 reds and 15 blacks to reach 120 with only the colours remaining but ended up snookering himself behind the blue and the chance was lost.
It would have been a magical conclusion to a near faultless display from the 42-year-old Englishman, who will now play Mark Allen in the semi-finals on Saturday after the Northern Irishman defeated Mark Selby 6-2.
Breaks of 81, 88 and 104 underscored a fantastic and fluent opening to the match but once Allen pinched a protracted and pivotal fourth frame to prevent Selby from drawing level at 2-2, he always looked the stronger.
Earlier, Murphy had compiled breaks of 90, 67 and 66 to establish a 4-1 advantage over Robertson.
While two-time winner Robertson made a superb century break in the next, a run of 82 carried Murphy further clear before he sealed his win.
“That was somewhere near my best. I am delighted,” Murphy told BBC Sport.
“I couldn’t breathe [going for the 147]. I was very nervous. One of my targets for the season was to make a max in a Triple Crown event and it was a good chance.
“It was exciting and would have been a good present because today is my mum’s birthday.”
