Judd Trump and Neil Robertson will contest a mouthwatering German Masters title decider at the Tempodrom in Berlin on Sunday.
The showdown pits arguably the two best players in the world at present against each other.
Between them, the pair has triumphed in four ranking events this season and Robertson additionally claimed the prestigious Champion of Champions crown.
Indeed, it was in the final of that invitational tournament in Coventry when Trump and Robertson last crossed paths.
A truly remarkable battle in which the duo contributed a record eight century breaks between them ended dramatically with Robertson fighting back from the brink of defeat to edge a thriller 10-9.
Many will be hoping that the final can follow a similarly entertaining pattern.
Neither player has won this event before but they each thrive in conditions like this – an important final in a huge arena with more than 2,000 excited supporters offering applause.
By all accounts, it’s difficult to pick a winner from this heavyweight duel.
On the one hand, there’s the world number one in Trump, a player who has claimed five ranking titles in the last twelve months including, of course, the big one at the Crucible.
In the opposite corner is a contender on an incredible streak that has already brought him success in 2020 at last week’s European Masters in Austria.
In nine matches in the last fortnight, Robertson has lost just eight frames and has successfully whitewashed opponents four times in that spell.
The Australian barely worked up a sweat again during his 6-1 semi-final victory over Shaun Murphy on Saturday, soon after Trump had emerged from a gruelling battle with Graeme Dott.
Trump, bidding for a 15th career ranking success, narrowly boasts a superior head-to-head record from their previous encounters but there’s not a great deal to separate them.
Interestingly, both players have expressed their interest in pocketing the £150,000 bonus that’s on offer in the new European Series.
The player who wins the most money across four tournaments – last week’s European Masters, this week’s German Masters, and the upcoming Shoot Out and Gibrlatar Open – will receive the handsome payout.
Trump must win in order to prevent Robertson from topping the order of merit because an £80,000 champion’s cheque added to last week’s similar prize would result in the latter building up an unassailable advantage already.
🗣 @nr147: “I felt like @russellcrowe in Gladiator”
If Robertson wins his maiden @BetVictor German Masters final tomorrow, he’ll earn £230,000 in Berlin #BVEuroSeries pic.twitter.com/YbIvZT88E4
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) February 1, 2020
A triumph for Robertson would also take the 37 year-old’s ranking tally to 18, alone in sixth on the all-time list.
It all helps to ratchet up the stakes in what is a barnstorming showdown, a clash to properly savour.
This year’s edition of the event began with an air of disappointment that so many marquee names failed to qualify.
However, it will ultimately end with two of the very best and most attacking players in the world gunning for glory in Germany.
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