The 2025 Masters begins on Sunday with 16 of the best snooker players on the planet once again assembling at the Alexandra Palace.
The campaign’s biggest invitational tournament returns to London for its 51st edition, with a whopping £350,000 top prize on offer for the winner this year.
Ronnie O’Sullivan was due to return as the defending champion, but the Rocket won’t be adding to his record haul of eight titles after withdrawing on the eve of the event.
Half of the field, though, already knows what it takes to outlast the opposition in what is the calendar’s second-biggest competition.
That level of experience is countered by the presence of two players who will be making their Masters debuts in the 2025 draw.
Let’s take a look at the eight first-round matches.
Neil Robertson vs John Higgins
Neil Robertson will be a dark horse for glory this year after being gifted a last-gasp ticket into the 2025 Masters draw following Ronnie O’Sullivan’s withdrawal.
The Australian, a winner at Ally Pally in 2012 and 2022, was the next highest ranked competitor when the cut-off point was determined last month.
Robertson faces John Higgins, who despite also being a two-time former champion has often struggled to perform at his best in this tournament in the English capital city.
When is it? Sunday, January 12th at 1pm UTC
Shaun Murphy vs Gary Wilson
It is now ten years since Shaun Murphy etched his name onto the Masters silverware, a victory that represented his last in a Triple Crown tournament.
The Magician, who commences his bid for glory this year against Gary Wilson, has only twice reached the semi-finals since then.
Wilson will make his second appearance in the event, but it will be his first time competing at the Ally Pally having previously played in Milton Keynes during the pandemic and he’s rated as the 33/1 outsider in the outright betting market.
When is it? Sunday, January 12th at 7pm UTC
Mark Allen vs Si Jiahui
Mark Allen has been a consistent winner on the World Snooker Tour since winning his maiden major title at the 2018 Masters.
Challenger Si Jiahui will be looking for that kind of career breakthrough moment when he enters the event for the first time next week.
The 22 year-old from China was a runner-up in two ranking events last year and is a rising star in the game who isn’t afraid of the big occasions.
When is it? Tuesday, January 14th at 7pm UTC
Mark Selby vs Ali Carter
Mark Selby reached five Masters finals between 2008 and 2014, winning three titles, but since then he has played poorly in the tournament.
In fact, he has failed to even reach a semi-final in the last decade, and he faces a tough task in his opening tie against Ali Carter.
The latter went all the way to the final twelve months ago, where he was narrowly denied success by O’Sullivan.
When is it? Monday, January 13th at 7pm UTC
Judd Trump vs Barry Hawkins
Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins were paired together when the 2025 Masters draw was conducted during their UK Championship final a month ago.
Two-time Masters winner Trump – the 11/4 favourite in the outright betting – just about got the better of his fellow Englishman on that day in York.
Hawkins, though, has plenty of pedigree on these kinds of stages and is a twice former Masters runner-up himself.
When is it? Tuesday, January 14th at 1pm UTC
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Mark Williams vs Ding Junhui
The match between Mark Williams and Ding Junhui offers snooker fans another probable humdinger to enjoy.
Like the Higgins versus Robertson clash, this one represents a battle between two former champions of the event.
Williams and Ding are also both winners from this term already, with the Welshman prevailing at the Champion of Champions and Ding returning to the champions’ enclosure at the International Championship.
When is it? Monday, January 13th at 1pm UTC
Luca Brecel vs Chris Wakelin
Luca Brecel has the experience, the higher seeding, and the titles, but it’s debatable whether or not he should be considered the favourite against debutant Chris Wakelin.
It has been a meteoric rise up the world rankings from Wakelin in the last couple of years, and the 32 year-old is fully deserving of his spot in this elite lineup.
Brecel has only once won a match at the Masters, and it’s difficult to predict which version of the Belgian Bullet will turn up.
When is it? Wednesday, January 15th at 7pm UTC
Kyren Wilson vs Zhang Anda
Kyren Wilson has already enjoyed a strong season as the sport’s world champion, adding two more ranking titles to his growing collection.
The Kettering cueist would love to add the prestigious Masters crown, though, and his stock is reflected in the fact that he is one of the betting favourites in 2025.
Zhang Anda made his Masters debut a year ago and struggled a bit with the occasion but could be better prepared to challenge this time around.
When is it? Wednesday, January 15th at 1pm UTC
Featured photo credit: WST
Masters Factfile:
The only players to win it three times or more are Ronnie O’Sullivan (8), Stephen Hendry (6), Cliff Thorburn, Mark Selby and the late great Paul Hunter.
Ali Carter is the only player to compile three successive centuries in a Masters contest.
Two finals – 1975 and 1998 – have finished on a respotted black.
John Parrott has reached the most finals without winning it. Three times he lost in the showpiece match, losing to Stephen Hendry on each occasion.
O’Sullivan, Hendry, Hunter and Thorburn are the only players to retain the title.
Ding (twice), Mark Allen, Kirk Stevens and Marco Fu are the select group if players to have a recorded a Masters 147.
The last decider in a Masters final was 2010. Mark Selby came from 9-6 down to win 10-9 against Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Paul Hunter has made the most centuries in a Masters final – five in his 2004 final victory over O’Sullivan to complete his trilogy of Master’s final wins, all of them won 10-9 and victories from far behind, including trailing O’Sullivan 7-2.
A good line up of matches and a chance for Neil Robertson to get that truly elite feeling back if he can play well. I think that Judd Trump will have been happy with his draw for a month already.