Mark Selby was the first player to book his place in the German Masters second round today, the reigning champion beating Steven Hallworth 5-0.
He is joined in round two by Graeme Dott and Stephen Maguire, the latter of whom he will face after the Scot defeated Ken Doherty 5-1.
Whitewash for Selby
Selby proved why he is the world number one against a nervous Hallworth who played in front of the TV cameras for the first time.
The world ranked 102 had a few chances early on, albeit from long range, and it was very much the story of missed opportunities for the 20-year-old. Hallworth also had a great opportunity in the second frame, but missed an easy red.
The only disappointing aspect of Selby’s game was his failure to build a sizeable break, with his highest of 88 coming in the final frame.
And one for Dott too
The 38-year-old Dott also secured his place in the second round in emphatic style, beating Tian Pengfei 5-0.
It was only the second time that the Pengfei was playing in Berlin, compared to Dott’s five times, and it was experience which came out on top in the end. The Scotsman was never troubled, with breaks of 74 and 66 in the opening two frames and a break of 102 in the fifth a final frame to win the match in style.
Stephen Maguire v Ken Doherty
Arguably one of the ties of the first round was won by world ranked number 17 Maguire by a score of 5-1.
Like Selby, the Scotsman failed to score a century break but had breaks of 77 and 88 in the first three frames. 46-year-old Doherty did manage to win a frame - unlike Hallworth and Pengfei - to make the score 4-1 in Maguire’s favour, but it wasn’t enough, with the 2004 UK Champion taking the final frame.
Dott will face either Alan McManus or Barry Hawkins in the second-round, whilst it will be England v Scotland as Selby faces Maguire.