Since 2011, Tempodrom in Berlin has been the venue for the German Masters. Since then, Tempodrom, a venue for 2,500 people, has witnessed the love and support of the sport of snooker from the tour's most avid live audience for more than a decade.
Affected by the new crown epidemic, last year's German Masters could only be held behind closed doors in Milton Keynes, England. After lifting travel restrictions, the German Masters can finally return to Berlin this year to meet the live audience.
Next, let's give a brief review of the finals of the German Masters over the years.
2011 – Mark Williams 9:7 Mark Selby
The first final at Tempodrom was a duel between two heavyweights. Williams, who was second in the world at the time, took a 7-4 lead in front of an overwhelming crowd before Mark Selby jumped up to tie the score to 7-7. However, Williams did not give Selby another chance to chase points, and after winning the 15th set, he won the final victory with an 82 points.
Just before the German Masters, Williams was turned over by Higgins 10:9 with a 9-5 lead over John Higgins in the Final of the British Championship, and the victory in this final also had a lot of significance for Williams.
Williams said after the game: "I'm really happy to get this win. Whether it was in front of so many enthusiastic spectators or remembering my experience of being reversed at the previous British Championship, I felt very nervous before the final. When Mark was about to equalize, I was in my seat thinking, 'Am I going to give the championship to you again', but then I realized that I was almost powerless, which made me relax. ”
2012 – Ronnie O'Sullivan 9:7 Stephen Maguire
After the match began, the two sides hit four consecutive shots to break the hundred, and Maguire established a 3:1 advantage, ending in the first stage maguire taking a 6-3 lead. In the second half, O'Sullivan began to threaten, winning six innings of seven games and winning the final championship. The German Masters' victory also ended O'Sullivan's 29-month absence from the ranking title.
Before the German Masters, O'Sullivan's top 16 seat was almost unsure. After winning the championship, O'Sullivan had to secure the top 16 positions and successfully entered the world championship, and then won the world championship that year.
O'Sullivan said: "It was a great game and the atmosphere was good – of course this wonderful game happened thanks to Stephen, who is a top player. Until then, I wasn't even sure if I could win another ranking title. ”
"I was 4-0 behind in the first round and although I was able to win the tournament and qualify, I still couldn't guarantee my top 16 position, but now I can rest assured that I can enjoy it for once. I'm happy to be racing again and doing everything I can to have such a wonderful moment. Whether I appear at Sheffield or not, winning this year's title will be a great victory. ”
2013 – Ali Carter 9:6 Fu Jiajun
Carter trailed 3-5 after the opening, but an outburst after the start of the late game put him in control of the game. Carter didn't let Fu Jiajun score another goal in 86 minutes, and carter took a 6-5 lead by scoring consecutive points.
Fu Jiajun then chased the score to 6:6, but this did not play a more point-chasing effect, and the explosive Carter still won the game in three consecutive sets.
Carter said: "Tonight's game was very difficult, Fu Jiajun played a little bit. We all wanted to give a great show to the audience and I was happy to be the winner myself at the end of the race. ”
2014 – Ding Junhui 9:5 Judd Trump
Ding Junhui beat Trump by a large margin, which was also one of the highlights of Ding Junhui's performance in the game in the golden age.
The German Masters was Ding Junhui's fourth ranking title in the season, and then he won the China Open, winning five titles in that season.
Back in the final, Trump led 4-2 in the early stages, but after losing the crucial seventh set, Ding Junhui scored 460 consecutive points to keep him ahead of 7:4 and eventually won 9:5.
Ding Junhui said: "I only hope that I can continue to maintain this state for the rest of the season. I also feel good in practice. I can't have a good performance in every race, I want to win all the races, but it's impossible, so I have to decide which races to play. ”
2015 – Mark Selby 9:7 Sean Murphy
It was Mark Selby's first ranking title since winning the 2014 World Championships. Selby's pre-match preparations for the German Masters were not ideal. He flew directly from Shanghai to Berlin for the first round, following a week when he reached the final in a Chinese eight-ball match.
Selby trailed 2-5 at one point in the final, but he won seven of the next nine innings to secure the match.
Selby said: "Flying here directly from China, I didn't expect much. Although I always believed that I could win, due to the fatigue of the long journey, I knew that it would be particularly difficult, and I had to be more determined. Maybe it made me less stressed, but I also knew that if I lost, I could only blame myself. It's hard to believe I'm standing here and winning the championship. ”
2016 – Martin Gould 9:5 Luca Bressell
Martin Gould won the first ranking title of his career at Tempodrom in Berlin, which was a particularly important moment for him.
Gould had previously lost both ranking finals at the 2011 Players' Championship and the 2015 Australian Open, and he finally won the favor of Lady Luck after reaching the final of the ranking tournament for the third time.
His opponent Bressel's first title in the rankings was not achieved until a year later at the 2017 China Championships.
Gould said: "It's great to be able to take the burden off and win my first ranking title. I struggled a bit early in the race and felt a bit of pressure because I knew (compared to Bressell) that I was the higher ranking player, so everyone was expecting me to win. Taking a 3:1 lead stabilized me. I made some mistakes, but they all worked well and got my chances back, and it was wonderful to get the title back. ”
"When I hit the last few balls, my arms were shaking. As I sat back in my chair, I kissed my fingers and pointed to the sky to pray for my mom,who died 12 years ago. I'm sure she'll be very happy to watch me win right now and I'll have a glass of whiskey tonight to celebrate. ”
2017 – Anthony Hamilton 9:6 Ali Carter
Anthony Hamilton defeated Ali Carter in the final to win the first ranking title in 26 years of his career.
Carter led 5-2 in the final, but Hamilton began to fight back strongly, winning seven of the next eight innings.
It was Hamilton's third ranking final and the first in nearly 15 years. Hamilton lost to Fogel O'Brien at the 1999 British Open and Mark Williams at the 2002 China Open when he collapsed under pressure and wasted an 8-5 lead that was reversed by his opponents. This time, when the match point appeared in front of Hamilton's eyes, he showed admirable composure and composure.
Hamilton said: "It's incredible to win a title when I don't even think about it anymore. I was no longer so desperate to win the title, which instead lessened my pressure. Now I'm sitting here with the trophy and winning the game feels even a little strangely uncomfortable. I struggled most of the week and didn't know how to play at all, but thankfully found some form at the end. I didn't play well until the final, and then tonight I played the best game of my career so far. ”
"A lot of players have been encouraging me this week, especially Mark Selby, who texted me to say he wanted me to win. Since I hadn't won a championship before, today I felt support from the audience, and maybe that put some pressure on Ali. ”
2018 – Mark Williams 9:1 Graham Dort
Mark Williams defeated Graeme Dort without suspense to win the 20th ranking title of his career.
It was Williams' second German Masters title, and a few months after Germany's victory, he thrilled 18-16 in the World Championship final to win his third professional World Championship trophy.
The 2017/18 season was a fruitful year for Williams, who first won the Northern Ireland Open and then the Six Red Ball World Championships, giving him his second ranking title of the season.
Williams said: "I'm so happy, I haven't won a race so easily in many years, and I actually won three titles this season. My bench today was very good and I played smoothly all the way. I felt energetic from the beginning. I've been playing my own way and it feels relaxed. ”
"After last season, I really thought about giving up. I told my wife that I had had enough and I couldn't continue to play the same way. It was she who convinced me that this is a huge turning point in the year. ”
"It will be the best I've felt in years before the World Championships and I'll be walking towards Crucible with plenty of confidence. Whether I can win the World Championships again remains to be seen, the race has been too long and so difficult, but I am really looking forward to the World Championships now. ”
2019 – Karen Wilson 9:7 David Gilbert
It was a tortuous final, with David Gilbert trailing 3-5 after the first quarter, but then he turned the game around and established a 7-5 lead. However, Gilbert did not win another set, and Instead Wilson won the championship by four consecutive sets.
Wilson said: "It was a wonderful final, with high scores and global highlights. Together, we put on a great show for the German fans. I've always been a fighter and I'm still undeterred when I'm behind 5:7. He [Gilbert] hasn't won a title before and I think David might have a hard time winning the race. ”
"There were 2,500 people in the final, which I believe is one of the biggest events outside of the 'big three competitions'. I felt at home here, very relaxed, and then my best came out. This atmosphere makes people feel very special. ”
2020 – Judd Trump 9:6 Neil Robertson
It was the first time that world number one Judd Trump had won the German Masters and his fourth ranking title that season. Trump won a record six titles in 2020/21, and no one has been able to beat it so far.
After winning the German Masters, Trump won the Gibraltar Open, which put him ahead of Robertson in the European Series prize list with an additional £150,000 prize.
Trump said: "I want to win any game I sign up for, but coming to the biggest stadium on the tour, coming to the final stage with only one table left is so special, the fans here are amazing. It's great to be able to win all the games I've never won before. ”
"I was able to build a lead in tonight's game and the game has been under my control ever since. I envisioned all the game situations, and Ann was good and had enough scoring ability. ”
"It's like playing chess, trying to guess the opponent's next move, blocking the opponent's moves. It's a great feeling to be able to win a championship that way. ”
2021 – Judd Trump 9:2 Jack Lisowski
Judd Trump defeated his good friend Lissovsky impeccably and successfully defended his German Masters crown. This is also a small record that belongs to Trump, after all, there has never been a successful defense of the Title in the German Masters before
Unfortunately, due to travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the German Masters could not be held in Berlin and could only be held behind closed doors in Milton Keynes, England.
Both Trump and Lisowski had to miss the Masters that year because they tested positive for COVID-19, but they quickly recovered and reunited in the Final of the German Masters.
Victory in this final once again cemented Trump's lead in the European series, giving him the opportunity to receive a prize of £150,000. Trump then faced Lissovsky again in the Final of the Gibraltar Open, winning another 4-0 showdown against his friends.
Trump said: "It was unbelievable, I got another win. For Jack and I, missing the Masters at the same time was obviously tough. In this game, it feels good that we all reached the final. It's always tough to play against him and he's my friend. Defeating him will never be as pleasant as winning someone else. It's a game where you need to play to the extreme. ”
"I'm enjoying the process of getting into the race. No matter when you win, you always have to make sure you enjoy the game. It's important for me to keep doing the right thing. I've been practicing hard and I've always maintained that momentum. I haven't had a break at all in the last few years. I put in enough effort and it paid off perfectly. ”