World Snooker has played down worries about the condition of the table at the Masters, stating that checks have revealed no problems.

World Snooker has played down concerns about the condition of the table at the Masters, insisting inspections found no faults with the playing surface.

The second Triple Crown tournament of the season began on Sunday at Alexandra Palace, where defending champion Shaun Murphy and reigning UK champion Mark Selby were both knocked out in surprise opening-round defeats by China’s Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong. Although the results themselves raised eyebrows, attention quickly shifted to the table, which drew criticism from leading figures in the sport.

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry and six-time Crucible winner Steve Davis both suggested the table was not behaving as it should. They pointed to instances where balls appeared to drift off their intended line or cling to the cushions before dropping into corner pockets. Commentating during Xiao’s win over Selby, Davis said the table did not look level and argued the top slate should be checked, warning that such conditions could make heavy scoring easier while undermining the integrity of the game.

Tournament organisers rejected those claims, stressing that the table is routinely examined before, during and after matches, in line with standard procedures. They added that providing optimal playing conditions is a priority and praised the work of their experienced table-fitters.

On Monday, former world champion Ken Doherty suggested any earlier issues may have been resolved during Mark Allen’s 6-2 victory over Mark Williams. However, Allen himself admitted he still had reservations. While he said he had no shots along the black rail to test the cushion behaviour, he noted some drift across the table from the green to yellow area. Allen said he raised the matter with tournament director Paul Collier and was confident it would be reviewed.

Concerns over table conditions have not been limited to the Masters. Earlier in the season, John Higgins strongly criticised what he described as “pathetic” conditions at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship. At the UK Championship, several players complained about the cloth and tighter pockets, although others, including Neil Robertson, felt the setup provided a sterner and fairer examination reminiscent of earlier eras in his career.

Despite the criticism, World Snooker maintains that no issues have been identified at the Masters and that the playing conditions meet the required standards for one of the sport’s most prestigious events.