The 2023 European Masters final at the Kia Metropol Arena in Nuremberg will be contested between Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins on Sunday.
The Englishmen emerged from tough semi-final battles on Saturday to move within one victory of the £80,000 top prize.
Trump, who won the title in 2016 and 2017, fought back from 3-0 down to deny John Higgins in a decider, 6-5.
It wasn’t quite as dramatic as his comeback from 4-0 behind to pip Chris Wakelin in the third round earlier this week.
But against a formidable foe like Higgins, the latest turnaround only served to fuel some people’s opinion that Trump already has one hand on the trophy.
Of course, Hawkins will have other ideas, and the 44 year-old reached a second successive European Masters final with a 6-4 defeat of Mark Selby.
A high-quality encounter began with the pair trading century breaks, and there were contributions of more than 50 in every frame after.
The key transition of play materialised in the penultimate frame when the scores were tied at four frames apiece.
Trailing by 65 points after a break of 59 from his opponent, Hawkins cleared the table with a superb run of 66 to take advantage of the affair before making a 73 in the last frame.
It has been a disappointing 12-month period for Hawkins, who followed up his poor performance in the 2022 European Masters final with a prolonged spell of indifferent form.
A failure to regularly reach the business end of competitions resulted in his plummet outside the world’s top 1 in the official rankings.
The former World Championship runner-up has already guaranteed his return to the elite bracket but will be hoping to add to his haul of ranking crowns.
Despite a respectable career, three titles of such status will perhaps represent a disappointing overall return for the Hawk.
He has often let the biggest occasions get the better of him, in stark contrast to Trump whose confidence tends to rise during the latter stages.
That will be one of the reasons why Trump will undoubtedly enter this showdown as the favourite for glory.
The recently turned 34 year-old is bidding for a 24th career ranking title, a success that would take him alongside Mark Williams in equal fifth on the all-time list.
Trump beat Hawkins the last time they encountered each other, en route to his triumph at the Masters in January.
Indeed, the world number four boasts a superior head-to-head record overall with 15 wins to Hawkins’ 13.
Interestingly, however, when Championship League fixtures are taken away from the equation, Hawkins possesses a 9-7 advantage.
That includes victory on the only other occasion they have played each other over two sessions.
A significant number of their battles in recent years have ended in deciding frames.
There’ll be many neutral fans who’ll be hoping their 2023 European Masters final will be just as close.
European Masters draw and results
L64
Kyren Wilson 5-2 Alfie Burden
Si Jiahui 5-3 Ken Doherty
Hossein Vafaei 0-5 Allan Taylor
Dominic Dale 5-2 Duane Jones
Andrew Higginson 1-5 Zhou Yuelong
Dylan Emery 1-5 John Higgins
Ross Muir 5-3 Joe Perry
Daniel Wells 2-5 Shaun Murphy
Judd Trump 5-0 Jordan Brown
Chris Wakelin 5-0 Aaron Hill
Ben Woollaston 5-1 Xu Si
Tom Ford 5-2 Oliver Brown
Jamie Jones 3-5 Ricky Walden
Michael White 5-4 Jack Lisowski
Ashley Carty 5-4 Joe O’Connor
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-0 Mark Allen
Andy Hicks 5-2 Peng Yisong
Lyu Haotian 5-4 Elliot Slessor
Ben Mertens 5-3 Sanderson Lam
David Gilbert 5-1 Reanne Evans
Xiao Guodong 5-3 Stuart Bingham
Ashley Hugill 5-4 Ali Carter
Louis Heathcote 1-5 Anthony Hamilton
Adam Duffy 1-5 Mark Selby
Wu Yize w/o Liu Hongyu
Noppon Saengkham 5-2 Mark Davis
Mark Williams 5-3 Matthew Stevens
Jimmy Robertson 5-0 Scott Donaldson
James Cahill 3-5 Barry Hawkins
Jiang Jun 4-5 Zak Surety
Robbie Williams 5-1 Pang Junxu
Ishpreet Singh 3-5 Luca Brecel
L32
K. Wilson 5-0 Si
Taylor 3-5 D. Jones
Zhou 2-5 Higgins
Muir 0-5 Murphy
Trump 5-4 Wakelin
Woollaston 5-4 Ford
Walden 5-4 M. White
Carty 5-1 Un-Nooh
Hicks 4-5 Lyu
Mertens 4-5 Gilbert
Xiao 4-5 Hugill
Hamilton 1-5 Selby
Wu 2-5 Saengkham
M. Williams 4-5 J. Robertson
Hawkins 5-1 Surety
R. Williams 4-5 Brecel
L16
K. Wilson 5-0 D. Jones
Higgins 5-2 Murphy
Trump 5-0 Woollaston
Walden 3-5 Carty
Lyu 5-1 Gilbert
Hugill 2-5 Selby
Saengkham 5-4 J. Robertson
Hawkins 5-4 Brecel
QF
K. Wilson 3-5 Higgins
Trump 5-1 Carty
Lyu 2-5 Selby
Saengkham 2-5 Hawkins
SF
Higgins 5-6 Trump
Selby 4-6 Hawkins
F
Trump 6-9 Hawkins
Hawkins has won 4 of their 7 semi-final clashes. No previous final meeting between them.
Trump is playing in his 39th ranking final and Hawkins his 10th.