Final frame fluke allows Marco Fu to seal Masters progression against Judd Trump
Marco Fu won a final-frame decider as he came from 3-0 down to defeat Judd Trump in the first round of the Dafabet Masters at Alexandra Palace.
The 39-year-old trailed throughout a thrilling match until eventually claiming a 6-5 victory with his third century break of the afternoon.
World number four Trump took the opener with a century before adding the next two after Fu failed to make the most of his opportunities.
The Hong Kong player, a runner-up at the tournament in 2011, responded with breaks of 130 and 88, before his opponent edged 4-2 ahead.
Fu once again fought back to within a frame of his opponent and, after a century break apiece, levelled at 5-5 to force a decider.
He began with a fluke in the final frame and, although he briefly let Trump back in, Fu eventually secured a potentially prickly quarter-final meeting with Mark Allen with a break of 102.
The pair have history after Allen alleged in 2012 that Fu had cheated in the past. Fu has always denied the allegations.
Speaking of his victory over Trump, world number eight Fu told BBC Two: "I think I've kind of done it the hard way because I missed three balls and (gone) 3-0 down and I definitely could've won the second and third frames.
"At the interval I felt okay, I just tried to concentrate on the good things I'd been doing; 94 per cent pot success and I'm 3-1 down so it's not bad. If I could capitalise on some of the chances amongst the balls and score heavily then I can get back into the match.
Very happy with my performance today, a great win against a great player in a great tournament!#dafabetmasters
— Marco Fu (@Marcofu18) January 17, 2017
"No matter how many tournaments you've won before, this is a different place. Coming to the Crucible or coming to the Masters, they give you an extra buzz, sometimes it can work against you if you're not feeling that great and, at the beginning, I was feeling the nerves, definitely.
"When I'm in good form, I manage the mistakes a lot better. Before, if I missed one shot, then that's over. But now I feel a bit stronger, if I miss two it doesn't matter, three it doesn't matter, just keep going."
