Fu fights back to secure Masters quarter-final spot

Marco Fu won a final-frame decider as he came from 3-0 down to defeat Judd Trump in the first round of the Dafabet Masters at Alexandra Palace yesterday.

The 39-year-old trailed throughout a thrilling match until claiming a 6-5 victory with his third century break.

World no 4 Trump took the opener with a century before adding the next two after Fu failed to make the most of his opportunities.

The Hong Kong player responded with breaks of 130 and 88, before his opponent edged 4-2 ahead.

Fu again fought back to within a frame of his opponent and, after a century break apiece, levelled at 5-5 to force a decider.

He began with a fluke in the final frame and, although he briefly let Trump back in, Fu eventually secured a potentially prickly quarter-final meeting with Mark Allen with a break of 102.

The pair have history after Allen alleged in 2012 that Fu had cheated in the past. Fu has always denied the allegations. Speaking of his victory over Trump, world no 8 Fu said: “No matter how many tournaments you’ve won before, this is a different place.”

In the other match, Neil Robertson set up a quarter-final against defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan by beating Ali Carter 6-3.