What a crazy Masters tournament this has been. Upsets everywhere. There was another big upset caused by Ali Carter in the quarter-finals as he powered his way past John Higgins to make it to the final four.
He will be meeting up with fellow Englishman Shaun Murphy, who looks to be in the mood to take advantage of what could have been a really difficult draw, open up.
Read our Shaun Murphy vs Alli Carter betting tip for more details.
Shaun Murphy v Ali Carter odds*
Shaun Murphy 4/9
Ali Carter 7/4
* (betting odds taken from bet365 on January 16th, 2020 at 9:38 pm)
Masters Snooker Betting at Bet365
Table of Contents
Golden opportunity for Murphy
Shaun Murphy, after his big win over reigning champion Judd Trump in the first round, was up against Joe Perry in the quarter-finals. Murphy was always favourite to win that fixture and he was in control all of the way, landing a 6-3 win. Given that this has been a tournament which has produced upset after upset, Murphy has been rock solid.
That steady temperament and control when all around him has been chaos, sets him up well for a potential second Masters title. He won it in 2015. If he ever dreamed of making it to the semi-finals this year, Murphy probably wouldn’t have been expecting to meet Ali Carter, the lowest-seeded player that he possibly could have faced. This is a golden opportunity for The Magician.
Head to head
Carter and Murphy have met 12 times before
Ali Carter leads the head to head 8-4
The last meet was at the 2018 Masters, won by Carter
Murphy has lost the two previous Masters meetings against Carter
Key-Facts – Shaun Murphy vs Alli Carter
- Murphy beat Joe Perry 6-3 in the quarter
- Carter dispatched John Higgins 6-3 in the last round
- Carter has knocked out two top-five seeds so far
Carter shining at the Ally Pally
This has been a major underdog story from Ali Carter at the tournament. He was up against fifth-seed Mark Selby in the first round and he came out with a batting 6-4 victory over the three-time Masters Champions. That was the first of his big upsets at the tournament.
Then Carter was an underdog again for his quarter-final match against John Higgins. Again Carter shone as he picked up a 6-3 victory, really defying some poor form that he has put together and in his Masters career in general.
He is carrying the head to head lead against Murphy. This is new ground for Carter though. Only twice before has he made it past the first round at the Masters, on both occasions he fell in the quarters.
Shaun Murphy v Ali Carter Prediction and tip
The tension ramps up now and we will probably see a bit of caution being exercised by both competitors. Carter is punching above his weight at the moment and does look the underdog still.
Murphy could easily have let some complacency in during his quarter-final match against Joe Perry. But his sent the 15th seed packing.
Carter is the lowest-ranked player left in the draw and Murphy would have to be backed to win this. Murphy 6-3 correct score at 5/1 looks a solid proposition* (betting odds taken from bet365 on January 16th, 2020 at 9:38 pm).
