Ali Carter and Tom Ford will contest the 2023 German Masters final on Sunday at the Tempodrom in Berlin.
The pair emerged from dramatic semi-final ties that each went the distance on Saturday to move within one victory of the £80,000 top prize.
Carter reached a third German Masters final with a 6-5 defeat of Robert Milkins before Ford matched that scoreline in his triumph over Jack Lisowski.
While the latter is bidding for a maiden ranking crown, Carter is on course to seal his fifth and a first since winning the World Open in 2016.
The Captain, who previously went all the way to the German Masters title ten years ago, is also bidding to become just the third player to win the tournament more than once.
The showdown between the two Englishmen may not be your typical mouthwatering prospect featuring heavyweights of the game, but that is unlikely to stop a packed arena from enjoying the tournament’s climax.
There were some fears that the turnout may have been affected by a field void of a significant top 16 presence and reduced as a result of the suspension of Chinese players.
But the Tempodrom has been as terrific as ever, with another spectacular atmosphere guaranteed for the finalists on Sunday amid news that next year’s edition will be increased to seven days.
Carter and Ford have encountered each other only seven times in the past, a small number considering their first battle was way back in 2004.
The head-to-head reads 5-2 in favour of Carter, who previously beat Ford in the German Masters quarter-finals en route to his second appearance in a final in 2017.
Ford’s success has been limited to short format events like the Shoot Out and the Championship League, and there’s no doubting his status as the underdog.
Aside from Lisowski, Ford is one of the obvious picks of being among the best players to have never captured ranking glory.
The 39 year-old has an opportunity to set that record straight in what will be just his second final.
Carter, on the other hand, boasts a lot of experience at this stage of tournaments, albeit it’s a long time since the former world number two has regularly put himself into these positions.
While securing the trophy will be their primary focus, winning could open up potentially lucrative doors in the future as well.
Both Carter and Ford already look set to feature in the Players Championship but spots in the Tour Championship and the Champion of Champions would also likely come with victory.
The German Masters final sessions begin at 1pm and 7pm GMT.
Featured photo credit: WST
Carter beat Ford 9-8 in the 2004 UK Championship in their only previous two session encounter.
I’d give Carter the edge in this instalment based not just on his greater experience but the Tiptree cueman’s superior safety game. Very little between them in terms of scoring power.