Murphy into Masters semis despite maximum miss

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 compiled breaks of 90, 67 and 66 to establish a 4-1 advantage.

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.

He will now play either Mark Allen or Mark Selby in the last four on Saturday.