German Masters 2024 snooker live – Judd Trump and Mark Williams in action in afternoon session

Soon enough he misses a cut-back black and, with all the reds between black spot and left corner, most close to the rail, this could well be another long frame. Judd does, though, sink the next red, but when he rams home a blue, he somehow manages to hit just one red, and it doesn’t roll into a pottable position.

Double-kiss for Matthew and a pot for Judd – his first in 36 minutes – but the reds are again tricky, so doing anything significant at this visit will require a lot of work.

Goodness, Judd misses a sitter to right corner focused on position – “but even then”, adds Nealf. He leaves nothing though, and we’re back playing safety, Judd nailing “the most vile snooker”, white tight between green and baulk rail.

Zak Surety 3-1 Alexander Ursenbacher

He Guoqiang 3-1 Mark Williams

Andrew HIgginson 1-2 Xu Si

Robert Milkins 3-1 Robbie Williams

Ryan Day 3-1 Oliver Brown

Andrew Pagett 3-1 Chris Wakelin

Matthew misses a pink, again unable to improve on a highest break of 33, but he’s level and both players have some thinking to do.

Matthew clicks a tremendous starter into left corner, and this is looking like all-square at the interval.

Getting out while the going’s good, Matthew eschews a second plant to play safe, again unable to press home an advantage; this has been a very bits-and-pieces match But whe Judd goes in-off playing safe, he presents yet another opportunity.

Another poor shot from Judd allows Matthew back in, but again he squanders the opportunity … or does he! He takes on a ridiculously difficult plant, the distance between the two reds significant and angle not straight, down it goes, and you fancy him for the frame now.

After a long think, Matthew takes on a cut-back black knowing he’s bumping reds … and leaves it in the jaws but leaves nowt. Judd, though, makes a mess of his containing safety … except Matthew can’t get on to the black off his opener and we’re back playing safety. Escape for the Ace.

Judd misses to left corner so Matthew gets away to right-middle and he’ll know he’s got a decent chance to do something here, because Judd isn’t having one of his better days.

Zak Surety 2-1 Alexander Ursenbacher

He Guoqiang 2-1 Mark Williams

Andrew HIgginson 1-2 Xu Si

Robert Milkins 3-1 Robbie Williams

Ryan Day 3-1 Oliver Brown

Andrew Pagett 2-1 Chris Wakelin

This is 2-1. Matthew is well in this, and capable of playing better than he is.

Red stuck to black and white near the baulk cushion, Judd misses twice, and when he hits, he leaves it – exactly what he was trying to avoid. Can Matthew secure the frame form here? He certainly should, and strokes the red along the top rail … but black to yellow won’t be easy. He plays it well though, and this should be 2-1.

Matthew strokes down a brilliant long starter, adds the pink, and cuts home another goodun. Off the brown, he comes all the way up the table and he’s on the penultimate red, but getting on to the last will be a problem … so he lays a snooker and asks Judd to come up with something.

Judd does a really good job eliminating unpleasantly-located balls but it’s getting harder now, two on the top rail, one stuck to the black just above it, and another near the side. He tries to get on the latter, can’t, and we’re going to have another tactical end to a frame.

Oh man! Looking to cut the topmost red to left corner, Matthew miscues, nearly flukes it, and sits down relieved the table isn’t that inviting.

Matthew flukes a red to right corner and there are plenty of points out there. Matthew could do with a telling contribution here.

Zak Surety 0-1 Alexander Ursenbacher

He Guoqiang 2-0 Mark Williams

Andrew HIgginson 0-1 Xu Si

Robert Milkins 1-0 Robbie Williams

Ryan Day 2-0 Oliver Brown

Andrew Pagett 0-0 Chris Wakelin

A scrappy one … but in the end Judd still wins it, Matthew laying a snooker … and going in-off.

Poor shot from Judd, leaving a clip to left corner which Matthew accepts … then snookers himself on the final red, stuck on the side rail. he misses his first escape … and his second and third, after which he needs a snooker so there’s no miss called. This frame is more or less over.

Judd leaves one, Matthew pots it … and goes in-off. Can Judd put this frame out of its misery? He cannot, looking to dig in behind a red on the baulk rail … and leaving it in the Jaws. Waht can Matthew make ot the chance?

Those infelicitously placed reds continue to stymie our players.

Matthew takes on a ball Judd eschewed, from centre to right corner, and he sinks it well. The reds aren’t easy though, and looking to come around the angles, he cannons the brown and plays safe.

Judd accumulates, dropping in a blue when running into trouble, he nudges the six remaining reds in the cluster … and the split is fine but position is not. If he can pot with the rest he’ll be in decent shape … or not, draining it but landing on nowt so sticking the pink safe.

Matthew takes on a ball stuck to the side rail, just above right corner, but having to come at it diagonally makes it hard and he not only misses, he leaves. Judd quickly opens balls by taking a pink to middle, and there are points out there – plenty of them, the black soon to be available to both corners.

Zak Surety 0-0 Alexander Ursenbacher

He Guoqiang 0-0 Mark Williams

Andrew HIgginson 0-0 Xu Si

Robert Milkins 1-0 Robbie Williams

Ryan Day 0-0 Oliver Brown

Andrew Pagett 0-0 Chris Wakelin

Judd is so good at doing whatever it takes to win in the early rounds of competitions, and he hits the front without playing that well.

Matthew hits second go, but the go after that he leaves the final red over right corner and judd won’t need the difficilt green.

There’s a red near the side, the only difficult ball left, but a poor positional shot means he’s to play a difficult oblique pink … and he hits the far jaw. Judd, though, also has to get on that red … and he doesn’t even try, laying a snooker behind the pink instead.

A gorgeous pink, rolled steadily to right-middle, keeps the run going, but he runs out of position again soon afterwards, bridges awkwardly … and is called for a push-shot, rightly so. Matthew duly steers down an opener from on the side rail, adds a fantastic cut-back black, and the balls are there for him.

Judd didn’t extend himself in winning 5-0 last evening – Lukas Kleckers couldn’t play well enough to test him. That might change today, but when Matthew misses red to right corner, he quickly gets away and looks good in so doing.

To see Neil Robertson back winning matches? I am, of course, completely neutral, but I want him to win this more than I want anyone else to win this. Actually that’s not true because there are loads of players for whom winning this would mean their finest hour and life-changing money, but of those who are potential winners, Neil getting back to where he can be would be ideal.

Ali Carter 5-1 Yisong Peng

Aaron Hill 1-5 Yuan Sijun

Pang Junxu 5-1 Haydon Pinhe

Neil Robertson 5-0 Jimmy Robertson

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-4 Zhang Anda

Zhou Yuelong 5-0 Tian Pengfei

It’s Judd Trump v Matthew Stevens. Matthew has made two world finals and, though he’s only won one ranking event, it was a biggie: the UK Championship. But that was in 2003 and he’s struggled in recent times, but if he’s at it, we’re in for a very serious contest.

And welcome to the German Masters 2024 – day two!

• Zak Surety v Alexander Ursenbacher
• He Guoqiang v Mark Williams
• Andrew HIgginson v Xu Si
• Matthew Stevens v Judd Trump
• Robert Milkins v Robbie Williams
• Ryan Day v Oliver Brown
• Andrew Pagett v Chris Wakelin

• Mark Allen / Manasawin Phetmalaikul v Louis Heathcote
• Julian Leclercq v Ken Doherty
• David Gilbert v Jordan Brown
• Alfie Davies v Marco Fu
• Joe Perry v Xing Zihao
• Kyren Wilson v Ben Woollaston
• Ricky Walden v David Lilley
• Xiao Guodong v Tom Ford
• Mark Davis v Barry Hawkins
• Ben Mertens v Fan Zhengyi
• Liu Hongyu v Luca Brecel / Ishpreet Singh Chadha