German Masters snooker 2024 LIVE – Judd Trump, Luca Brecel, Mark Allen in evening action after Mark Selby shock exit

And with Judd Trump against local favourite Lukas Kleckers. If he gets going, we’ll have quote the atmosphere tonight.

Join us again this evening at 6.45pm BST for a bit of Judd Trump versus Lukas Kleckers. See you then!

Sam Craigie 5-2 Liam Pullen

Barry Pinches 2-5 Julien Leclercq

Martin O’Donnell 0-5 Matt Selt

The defending champion is through, but it was close. He led 3-1 and 4-2 but was forced to a decider, which itself was in the balance until Michael left the final red hanging for Ali to take frame and match. Ali goes through to the next round, where he’ll face Peng Yisong.

Ali mops up to the brown before playing a safety, and Michael now needs a snooker. With the brown over the green pocket Michael elects to drain it, but straight after doing so the white flies into the left middle. Michael folds it and just like that, it’s over!

Needing only a handful of reds and high value colours for the match, Ali makes a hash of a red to bottom right and he’s left Michael in. The brown is safe, which is good news for Ali, but we could be in for a close finish here. As Michael starts to mop up the reds, he leaves the final one as a tough red along the bottom cushion to the bottom right. He’s overcut it, and left it hanging; by dint of that, he’s now staring at the exit.

A careless safety shot by Ali leaves a red over the bottom left. Michael drains it with some force, and then cuts a tough pink into the right middle. Has he spied a plant to bottom left to keep going? He has, and it goes! The chance only yields 15, but with five reds to go Michael won’t mind getting back into this by increments. He’s in bother now though, as a poor safety of his own allows Ali to clang in a mid-range red and take control again.

Part of Ali will be wondering how on earth he’s even playing this frame, and he spanks a lovely starter into left corner, adds green … and that’s a lovely shot, coming all the way up the table only to land on nothing. A few inches either way and he’s plumb, but instead the black is blocking his route to his red.

Poor shot form Michael, who gets unexpected cover, raising a hand to apologise; I’m sure he’s devo’d. Then he gets a starter and, on nothing, snuggles in between baulk rail and yellow; Ali escapes well. This is getting scrappy now, but it won’t take much for Ali to finish things from here.

On 37, Ali leaves himseldf a poke to left corner, bridging awkwardly … and it wipes both feet then has a sit-down before falling over the lip. He’s not on position following it, but Michael responds poorly to his safety … and gets away with it.

After intimating that he doesn’t really want to, Michael takes on a nasty one to left corner, misses … and gets away with it. or does he?! Stuck to the side rail near the baulk line and yellow bag, Ali sends a glorious starter to right corner and he’s away. That one chance a player always says they want? This is his/

Sam Craigie 4-2 Liam Pullen

Barry Pinches 2-5 Julien Leclercq

Martin O’Donnell 0-3 Matt Selt

No ton, but the defending champ is a frame away from elimination.

Michael eases down a black, and that will be enough to force a decider that looked extreely unlikely at the interval and even after it. But amid the misses, he’s made some decent contributions this afternoon, and will fancy himself to nick this.

A terrific red, hit hard to the corner, opens lots of others, and this is now a wonderful chance to force a decider. But any miss, and it could be curtains.

Ali properly attacks a starter and gets so close he leaves it in the jaws of left corner. Another big chance for Michael, but can he take it? His pots aren’t all going straight in, but he’s still at the table with balls available.

Sam Craigie 3-2 Liam Pullen

Barry Pinches 2-4 Julien Leclercq

Martin O’Donnell 0-3 Matt Selt

Er, my screen just crashed, coming back to show me Michael closed out the frame. Apologies, I’ve not idea what happened there.

Nope, aliruns out of position off his first colour, a pink to right-middle, and we’re back playing safety.

A dreadful break-off from Ali allows Michael a simple starter, but just as he looks nicely ensconced at the table, he runs into the pack … and sends a stonker to the yellow bag! He’s not, though on a colour … but tries for brown anyroard, into left-centre, misses, and Ali will fancy finishing this here and now.

Sam Craigie 3-2 Liam Pullen

Barry Pinches 2-4 Julien Leclercq

Martin O’Donnell 0-3 Matt Selt

He cannot, but he’s a frame away and nothing we’ve seen so far suggests that Michael can rescue this.

ali secires the frame and then some, but can he sink a double to press onwards for the ton?

It’ll take a poor shot or a bad miss for ali not to secure the frame at this visit, and he looks in reasonable touch again now.

How good is it to see Marco Fu back doing bits? I can’t lie, I always want to see Selbz enjoying his game, but Marco’s been away for so long, Covid interrupting a career really coming into its own, and I hope he can get back to where he was. Anyway, back in our match, a long safety exchange begins the frame, then Michaale leaves one to the yellow and this is already a good chance.

Sam Craigie 3-2 Liam Pullen

Barry Pinches 2-4 Julien Leclercq

Martin O’Donnell 0-3 Matt Selt

Michael secures the frame, and this is back in the balance.

Michael pvercuts a red to right corner, so returns to his pew with Ali needing two snookers.

Excellent work from Michael, who must’ve got a hold of himself, or had someone get a hold of him, during the interval. Confidence is easily lost when it’s fragile, so this doesn’t mean he’s back playnig well, but it’s a start.

Michael guides in a fine long red – hopefully he’s had a productive interval – and though he soon has to play safe, he’s back at the table immediately. He really must make something of this.

Sam Craigie 3-1 Liam Pullen

Barry Pinches 1-3 Julien Leclercq

Martin O’Donnell 0-2 Matt Selt

The players depart for the interval, and Michael has a lot of thinking to do.

And he gets on it nicely … can he send it down? Yes he can, beautifully coaxed home right in the heart of the pocket. Black and yellow for the frame … and down they go.

It’s Ali in next and the way the balls are, Michael will be fearing the worst. He quickly closes the gap, and he’s a red in the middle of black cush away from a 3-1 lead at the interval.

Oh Michael. Off a simple starter, he winds up stuck to the broon, so all he can do is play away.

Michael opens the reds but the break is a real struggle, a constant succession of recovery pots keeping it going. Can he keep control of the white, double entendre intended? He cannot, forced to play safe, and given the openness of the table, ifAli gets a starter, it might soon be end of frame. But he misses a longun to left corner, so Michael will now go again.

Excellent starter from Michael followed by a pink to middle, and this is chance for points, pink on the black spot and passing to both corners, black also handily located.

Sam Craigie 2-0 Liam Pullen

Barry Pinches 1-2 Julien Leclercq

Martin O’Donnell 0-1 Matt Selt

Ali takes control. I can’t see any way he loses this.

Michael looks despondent sat in his seat, and i fear for him from here. Ali’s been poor but knows he’s playing well; Michael appears totally devoid of confidence.

Ali in again, but he soon misses one he shouldn’t to right corner and this is a big chance for Michael. He’s really struggling out there, so if he can’t take it, it’ll really sting. And as I type, he miscues and misses, a black off its spot, and he looks resigned now. Ali sends a red long to the yellow, and should clear from here.

A poor positional shot leaves Ali with no red, so he plays safe and Michael leaves him a tempter to right corner … he cues beautifully to strike it down, dead straight – it’s a beautiful pot – but then he jawses a much easier one with the rest, and this is the worst I’ve seen him play in ages.

Horrific shot from Michael, who’s really struggling, an attempted safety sending a red over left-middle, and Ali gets away with a decent lead out there and accessible.

Sam Craigie 1-0 Liam Pullen

Barry Pinches 1-1 Julien Leclercq

Martin O’Donnell 0-0 Matt Selt

Ali quickly secures the frame, binning the remaining reds

In but in trouble, Ali keeps his break going with a terrific yellow, and has the chance to score. Burt he can’t sink a pink to centre, Michael takes a starter from on the rail by right corner to the yellow bag … then misses a simple black. Ali really should level the match from here.

Warned off it by Angles, Michael attemtps a fiendish one with the rest, missing from centre to left, but having taken a starter, Ali gets no position off the green, so plays safe, irritated. If they don’t improve, we could be here all night.

“Goodness me!” says Philip Sutdd when Michael misses a starter by miles, but Ali, trying one to right corner, catches plenty of another red, and we’re back playing safety. This is scrappy stuff, pink and black both tied up, and when Michael gets a double-kiss, Ali gets away … but goes in-off. So Michael sends one down right-middle, and can he get something going?

Sam Craigie 0-0 Liam Pullen

Barry Pinches 1-0 Julien Leclercq

Martin O’Donnell 0-0 Matt Selt

A run of 55 secures the frame.

Michael misses to the middle but Ali can’t clean up so he gets away to right-middle and increases his lead as we hear a big round of applause form elsewhere – the joy of the Berlin Tempodrom, with four other matches also under way, the crowd able to follow them all. A good red with the rest to right corner and there’s nothing difficult left on the table, so this should be the frame.

Michael misses a thin contact by a fortnight, grinning at how poor the effort was – or at the ill luck of the ball running off. So he goes again and gets everything safe, then Ali cracks a beauty into right corne, adds a black, and plays safe

A good red to left corner keeps the run going but now Michael misses a simple blue to the middle, focused on the cannon, but the reds are mainy close to black cush and he doesn’t leave one, so it’s back to baulk for Ali.

Erroneously! He overcuts blue to left-middle, Michael flukes a red shortly afterwards, and can he make a few here.

Michael clips a stray red playing safety and leaves a starter to the middle which Ali sees away. There are a few loose reds to get him going, and the way he’s playing he’ll fancy himself to score a few points.

All matches before the semis are best of nine; Ali is the defending champ.

This afternoon, we’ll bring you Ali Carter v Michael White with updates from elsewhere – Mark Selby v Marco Fu and Shaun Murphy v Xu Si look likely – then this evening, it’s Judd Terump v Lukas Kleckers, with Luca Brecel, Mark Allen and Neil Robertson also in action.

How goes it folks? This should be fun.

With qualification secured via ranking and qualifying, there are the 32 top ranked players, and 32 qualifiers – with one important caveat.

World Grand Prix losing finalist Trump, and incumbent champion and O’Sullivan’s Masters rival, Carter, are both in attendance, together with the likes of Luca Brecel and Mark Selby.