Defending champion Anthony Hamilton out of German Masters


Defending champion Anthony Hamilton crashed out of the German Masters on Wednesday, ensuring the tournament's record of never having a repeat winner will remain in tact.

Hamilton, whose victory 12 months ago was his first ranking title in more than 25 years as a professional, lost 5-1 to Jimmy Robertson in their opening round encounter at the Tempodrom in Berlin.

Robertson moved into a 2-0 lead with the aid of a 73 break in the second frame, before Hamilton hit back with a run of 66 to reduce his deficit.

However, that proved to be the 46-year-old's highest break of the contest and Robertson won the next three frames in succession to advance to the last 16.

Ding Junhui showed signs of getting back to his best form with breaks of 55, 131, 56 and 71 helping him to beat Michael Georgiou 5-3, while Joe Perry edged past Yu Delu 5-4 thanks a break of 59 in the deciding frame.

Masters champion Mark Allen suffered an early exit after a 5-4 defeat to Matthew Selt and Judd Trump's two century breaks helped him to a 5-3 win over Ben Woollaston.

Ricky Walden won the final two frames in a 5-3 victory over Jack Lisowski, Mark Williams overcame Fergal O'Brien by the same scoreline and Gary Wilson defeated Martin Gould 5-2.