Eight marquee players are in the draw for the 2022 Hong Kong Masters that takes place this week.
The action commences on Thursday at the Hong Kong Coliseum, the first time in three years that a WST event will take place in Asia.
Big crowds are expected at the venue across the next few days as the players chase down a lucrative top prize.
Prize, History, and Format
The Hong Kong Masters returns to the calendar for the first time since 2017, when Neil Robertson beat Ronnie O’Sullivan to claim the title.
A tournament with the same name was previously an annual fixture for many years during the 1980s, with victories for the likes of Steve Davis and Jimmy White.
There’s a total prize fund of £315,000 with the champion taking home a £100,000 share of the pot, a rich sum that is on a par with what Ryan Day pocketed for winning last week’s British Open.
Only eight players have been invited to take part in the non-ranking event, and it’s a straight knockout with matches lasting nine frames in the quarter-finals and eleven frames in the remaining two rounds.
2022 Hong Kong Masters Draw
Home heroes Marco Fu and Ng On Yee will be hoping to give those in attendance something to cheer for.
But the Hong Kong pair won’t have it easy, with Fu up first against a resurgent Mark Selby and Ng in action against the world champion, Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Judd Trump faces John Higgins and Neil Robertson encounters Mark Williams* in arguably the two picks of the opening round.
*Mark Williams replaced Zhao Xintong in the draw after the Chinese number one tested positive for COVID-19.
Hong Kong Masters Schedule
Times in BST
Quarter-Finals
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ng On Yee (Friday, 12pm)
Neil Robertson vs Mark Williams (Friday, 6:30am)
Mark Selby vs Marco Fu (Thursday, 6:30am)
Judd Trump vs John Higgins (Thursday, 12pm)
Semi-Finals
O’Sullivan/Ng vs Robertson/Williams (Saturday, 12pm)
Selby/Fu vs Trump/Higgins (Saturday, 6:30am)
Final
(Sunday, 12pm)
Where to Watch the Hong Kong Masters
Live coverage across Europe will be available on Eurosport with other options (click here) available for viewers around the world.
Featured photo credit: WST
You’d think for 100,000 pound first prize the event would have a two-session final. The big crowds deserve that.