Stuart Bingham was tasked with a huge task of eliminating Liang Wenbo but the Englishman couldn’t quite hit the mark. Lian Wenbo was at the brink of defeat but a deciding frame win was just enough to seal his place in the European masters’ finals scheduled for next year, 2020.

Ding Junhui was also faced with a similar task, locking horns with Peter Ebdon. However, the Chinese, unlike Bingham, emerged victorious in his quest. A 5-3 win over Peter Ebdon was just enough to have his place seated among the kings of the sport whose event is to be played in the coming year.

Elsewhere, Allister Carter oversaw a 5-2 win over Dominic Dale. The Englishman was dominant in his displays and deservedly got the win. Dominic Dale, on the other hand, would have to get himself busy elsewhere as he is now out of the European Masters discussion.

It was also a walk in the park for John Higgins who eliminated Yuan Sijun. The Scot didn’t need more than seven frames to end the duel and seal his position in the finals of the tournament.

Gerard Greene bowed out to the almighty Neil Robertson. Punters who backed the Aussie were absolutely right and deservedly got their wins. Robertson ended the encounter with a 5-3 win over Greene and ending possibilities of the game going down to the wire. At 4-3, a win for Greene would have settled matters and asked for a deciding frame. However, it was Robertson who was quickest to the finish line, taking the eighth frame to roundup the win.

Graeme Dott was bullish in his encounter with Kurt Maflin. The Scot must have been licking his lips at the prospect of tying Maflin in the second round after seeing out Thor Chuan Leong. Little did the Scot know that he was up for a complete whitewash. Graeme Dott left no stone unturned in giving his opponent some marching orders. Maflin was given no breathing space or room to squeeze out one frame. He was simply outwitted by the far-better Dott. It was a routine win for Dott done in emphatic fashion.