Mark Williams suffers shock exit at German Masters snooker qualifiers, John Higgins and Shaun Murphy progress

Mark Williams suffered a shock 5-4 defeat to world No. 112 Julien Leclercq in the first round of German Masters qualifying at Leicester’s Morningside Arena.

The three-time world champion and 2011 German Masters winner had led 2-0 on Friday morning, but watched the Belgian rookie recover to lead 3-2 and 4-3 after contributing a 97 break in the fifth frame.

Williams forced a decider with a run of 70, but 19-year-old Leclercq finalised victory with a closing break of 61.

Leclercq’s reward is a meeting with Louis Heathcote, who edged out Michell Mann 5-3, for a spot in Berlin next year.

Elsewhere, John Higgins won three straight frames from 3-2 behind to complete a 5-3 win against Marco Fu.

Higgins watched the former Grand Prix holder make a 147 break in the final frame of a 6-5 semi-final win at last month’s Hong Kong Masters, but showed his mettle to recover after Fu threatened a repeat result.

The four-time world champion moved 2-0 clear with breaks of 64 and 110 before Fu enjoyed a three-frame burst boosted by a 75 break in the fourth frame.

Higgins assumed control from that juncture as he finished with knocks of 64 and 50 to secure a last-64 meeting with Michael Judge or Daniel Wells on Saturday.

2005 world champion Shaun Murphy booked a clash with former European Masters winner Fan Zhengyi after enjoying a 5-0 whitewash of Andres Petrov with breaks of 73, 60 and 92.

The last 32 qualify for the finals venue at the Tempodrom in Berlin between February 1-5, 2023, live on discovery+ and Eurosport.

Thursday’s German Masters qualifying results

Last 128

• John Higgins 5-3 Marco Fu
• Fan Zhengyi 5-3 Gerard Greene
• Shaun Murphy 5-0 Andres Petrov
• Julien Leclercq 5-4 Mark Williams
• Louis Heathcote 5-3 Mitchell Mann
• Michael Judge 4-3 Daniel Wells

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