The European Masters final on Sunday will be contested between English duo Kyren Wilson and Barry Hawkins.
The pair emerged from contrasting semi-final encounters on Saturday at the Stadthalle in Furth to move one step closer to the £80,000 top prize.
Wilson prevailed in a topsy-turvy and dramatic clash with Ali Carter, fighting back from 5-4 down to pip the Captain in a decider.
It was more straightforward for Hawkins, who continued his fine scoring form this week with breaks of 131, 89, 79, 67, and 59 helping him to see off Mark Williams 6-2.
Wilson and Hawkins last faced each other at this stage of a tournament in the last edition of the Paul Hunter Classic in 2019 – a long-running event that was previously annually staged at the same venue.
On that occasion the Hawk edged Wilson 4-3, but this battle will be a much longer affair with 17 potential frames to be played.
Victory in the European Masters final would represent a fifth ranking success for Wilson and a fourth for Hawkins.
The latter hasn’t tasted glory since triumphing at the 2017 World Grand Prix, while two years have passed since Wilson last etched his name onto a ranking trophy.
They have both established a reputation during their careers as being hard-fought snooker competitors capable of mixing attacking play with tactical prowess.
But there have been times when both players have struggled to produce their best form when it has mattered the most.
This is best underlined by the fact they each suffer from losing records in ranking event finals.
Against one another, it could not be much closer with Wilson boasting a narrow 13-12 advantage from their previous head-to-head battles.
When Championship League fixtures are excluded, the record reads at an even eight victories apiece.
Their last duel occurred in last year’s World Snooker Championship when Wilson came out on top with a 13-10 scoreline in the second round.
In fact, several of their most recent ties have been close, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this match requiring the majority of the allotted frames.
Wilson is the higher ranked player as the world number eight, but Hawkins has been producing the stronger standard this week overall.
If there isn’t a lot in it near the end it has the potential to become a cagey affair, and the result may be determined by sheer bottle.
Live coverage of the European Masters final is on Eurosport and various other broadcasters.
Click here to view the full draw
Featured photo credit: WST
