Murphy and Robertson sent crashing
Murphy, the 2005 world champion, never got going as he lost 9-3 to rejuvenated Alan McManus in the second round.
Australian star Robertson, winner of the last ranking tournament, the Royal London Watches Grand Prix in Aberdeen, went out 9-5 against Finnish surprise package Robin Hull.
The damage was done for Murphy in the first session, after which he found himself trailing 6-2, and despite making a 76 break in last night’s opener he quickly succumbed to defeat.
McManus, the gritty Glaswegian who finds himself out of the world’s top 16 this season for the first time since 1992, now plays last year’s runner-up Steve Davis, a 9-5 winner against another Scot, Jamie Burnett.
Earlier, Ronnie O’Sullivan had been taken to the brink of defeat before scraping into the third round.
The former world number one went from 7-4 up to 7-8 down against Ricky Walden, but then battled back from 56 points behind to force a decider which he won with a break of 108.
O’Sullivan admitted he had been fortunate to go through, acknowledging an unpredictable bounce off a cushion had hindered Walden when he was on a potentially match-winning break of 52.
Former world number one Mark Williams prevailed 9-7 against Gerard Greene, while John Higgins advanced 9-4 at the expense of Mark King, who emulated the 146 total clearance by David Gray on Wednesday.
Higgins’ next opponent will be Stephen Lee, 9-6 victor over Rod Lawler.
