Watch: Good luck meets bad luck as Stephen Maguire shot defies belief
Good luck met bad luck at the Masters on Monday, as Stephen Maguire's fluke ended in the cue ball somehow going in-off.
It was an outrageous shot which occurred right in the middle of a no less remarkable comeback, as Maguire rattled off five frames in a row to win 6-5.
The Scot, a finalist in the UK Championship before Christmas, showed both sides of his enigmatic character in a startling match which made for the third successive upset - a sequence extended to four when David Gilbert beat Mark Allen in the evening.
"It was a tough green I took on to keep the break going – but I wasn’t going out playing safe today," said Maguire of the green which effectively sealed his quarter-final place.
"If it went in, I fancied dishing up. If it didn’t, I’d be going home. I’ve played a few 5-5s and I know funny things can happen. I just went for everything and managed to win.
"I never show any emotion, but I gave it the fist there and nearly uppercut myself in the chin with that punch. It was stupid really, it’s not me. But it just shows you winning means a lot.
"It has to be one of the best comebacks of my career. I haven’t done that from 4-0 down much – I had one against Mark Williams at the UK Championship a couple of years ago. But that is right up there.
"Neil was the better player and should have put me to bed 6-1 or 6-0 after the interval. You don’t get these comebacks very often, so they’re special."
Gilbert's victory over Allen was less dramatic as he won each of the opening four frames in a one-sided win, which earned him a clash with Maguire - the player he says he looked up to when heading out onto the circuit.
First, the next pair of first-round matches take place on Tuesday, with Judd Trump seeking to avoid becoming the latest casualty when he faces Shaun Murphy, and John Higgins up against Barry Hawkins.
The quarter-final line-up will then be confirmed on Wednesday, when Jack Lisowski and Kyren Wilson go head-to-head before Mark Williams takes on Stuart Bingham.