Neil Robertson’s recent victory at the Masters against Chris Wakelin could have resulted in a massive 17 million to one windfall for a lucky bettor due to a series of unexpected results. The 43-year-old sealed his place in the second round of the tournament with a convincing 6-2 win on Wednesday.
What made this victory even more remarkable was that all eight opening matches in the competition ended with the same scoreline of 6-2, creating a rare set of outcomes. Notable wins included Chinese players Xiao Guodong and Wu Yize defeating Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy, respectively, and Zhao Xintong advancing past Gary Wilson. Mark Allen also joined the trend with a 6-2 victory over Mark Williams.
The streak of identical results continued as John Higgins overcame Barry Hawkins and Kyren Wilson defeated Si Jiahui, leading to Robertson’s win against Wakelin to cap off the day. Robertson expressed surprise at the unusual turn of events and jokingly speculated about a potential lucky punter with a perfect accumulator bet.
According to Ladbrokes, correctly predicting all these 6-2 outcomes would have offered staggering odds of over 17 million to one. Judd Trump further contributed to the trend by securing his own 6-2 win against Ding Junhui.
Looking ahead, the competition progresses with exciting quarter-final matches scheduled for Thursday. John Higgins will face Zhao Xintong, while Judd Trump will clash with Mark Allen in the evening session. Ladbrokes is currently offering odds of 400/1 for all quarter-finals to end with a 6-2 scoreline.
Reigning champion Shaun Murphy’s title defense came to an early end in the opening round, adding to the unpredictability and excitement of this year’s Masters tournament.