A full day's work and an interview with Martin Gould later, and there's been three more added to the list of Masters casualties. So far, all four of the bookies' underdogs have won their matches.
And this does is confirm what a strong state the top 16 players of snooker are in, and endorse how far the sport has come to improve entertainment valueLast night, Peter Ebdon, a man seemingly on the brink of falling out of the elite, found a power of strength to overcome Ali Carter 6-5.
The Captain may have won the first ranking event of the season in Shanghai, but he's struggled for form ever since, most notably at the UK Championship where he was eliminated in the first round by Mark Joyce.
Ebdon is the kind of player always quick to pounce on any frailties. Carter's inability to score heavily didn't go unpunished.
Today, the surprises continued.
First, in form Mark Williams fell 6-4 to Ding Junhui.
The Chinese star has been hit and miss for most of the season, while Williams has galloped back up the rankings. The form book went out of the window, as did form in general, with Ding scraping through a mediocre match-up.
Then tonight, world number one John Higgins was given his marching orders, at the expense of his close friend Graeme Dott.
We all know Dott is made of stern stuff, and after losing to the fellow Scot in Telford, it was obviously time for revenge, as he ran out a 6-4 winner.
With half of the first round ties now played, the competition couldn't be any wider open. Although the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan and Neil Robertson will be licking their lips now, with their chances to win the title now even stronger.
I won't even bother predicting tomorrow's matches. Stephen Maguire faces Marco, followed by O'Sullivan against Mark Allen.
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