Ronnie O’Sullivan will face old foe John Higgins in the first round of the 2025 Masters snooker invitational after the draw was made on Sunday.
Once again, the top 16 players from the official world rankings are being invited to the prestigious tournament at the Alexandra Palace in London.
Reigning champion O’Sullivan will bid for a record-extending ninth Masters title, with his first hurdle to overcome representing a repeat of the 1995, 2005, and 2006 finals.
With the 2025 Masters snooker draw taking place during the UK Championship final between Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins, it was ironic to see the duo paired together again.
Hawkins trails Trump 5-3 after the opening session of their title-deciding contest in York, where the first Triple Crown piece of silverware is up for grabs.
The Masters always throws up ties that would be worthy of finals, and among the other blockbuster battles to look forward to is the fixture between Mark Williams and Ding Junhui.
Both former champions of the event and already winners on the 2024/25 calendar, it promises to be a barnstorming affair in the English capital city.
Ali Carter, who came just short last season when he was edged out to glory by O’Sullivan, will face three-time champion Mark Selby.
World champion Kyren Wilson’s first test will be against Zhang Anda, while Mark Allen entertains one of the two debutants in Si Jiahui.
The other first-timer will be Chris Wakelin, whose reward for a two-year period in which he has broken into the elite echelons is a meeting with the struggling Luca Brecel.
Lagging way down the provisional end-of-season rankings, this could potentially be the latter’s last appearance in the Masters for a while.
Gary Wilson challenges 2015 Masters champion Shaun Murphy in the remaining tie of the draw.
This campaign’s edition of the Masters takes place from January 12th to 19th.
2025 Masters snooker draw
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs John Higgins
Shaun Murphy vs Gary Wilson
Mark Allen vs Si Jiahui
Mark Selby vs Ali Carter
Judd Trump vs Barry Hawkins
Mark Williams vs Ding Junhui
Luca Brecel vs Chris Wakelin
Kyren Wilson vs Zhang Anda
Featured photo credit: WST
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