The final of the 2025 German Masters will be contested by Kyren Wilson and Barry Hawkins at the Tempodrom in Berlin on Sunday.
The pair of Englishmen emerged from their respective semi-final encounters on the penultimate day of action with 6-2 victories.
Wilson overcame Xiao Guodong with breaks of 100, 88, and 57 while Hawkins won six frames on the bounce from 2-0 behind to deny Yuan Sijun a maiden final berth.
It sets up an intriguing showdown for glory in the German capital city with the Brandon Parker Trophy and a £100,000 champion’s cheque up for grabs.
As the reigning world champion and a multiple winner from this season already, Wilson will of course enter the German Masters final as the favourite.
For all the talk surrounding the frequency of Judd Trump’s involvement at the business end of tournaments, Wilson has been just as impressive this term.
The world number two is bidding for a third piece of silverware of the 2024/25 campaign having already collected the Xi’an Grand Prix and Northern Ireland Open trophies.
Victory would take his career tally of ranking titles to nine, and it would also go a long way to dispelling the disappointment of his defeat in the Masters final a couple of weeks ago in London.
Of the Kettering cueist’s previous eight ranking triumphs, three have come in Germany, signalling his affinity with playing in the country.
Wilson won both the Paul Hunter Classic and the German Masters during the 2018/19 season, and he also picked up the 2022 European Masters trophy in Fürth.
In the latter success, Wilson orchestrated a comprehensive victory over Hawkins in the final, and it’s the same opponent who will be on the other side of the table again on this occasion.
Hawkins remains on course to land a fifth career ranking title and a first since winning the European Masters on German soil in 2023.
The Hawk has generally been in good form this season, firmly reestablishing himself inside the world’s top 16 on the back of a run to the final of the UK Championship.
The 45 year-old will undoubtedly represent the underdog heading into this title-deciding showdown, but his vast experience makes him a difficult opponent for Wilson to overcome.
The finalists have clashed 32 times on the World Snooker Tour in the past – amazingly sharing the spoils with 16 victories apiece in all competitions.
They have twice crossed paths already during the ongoing season, with Hawkins winning at the English Open and Wilson returning the favour in the International Championship.
The 2025 German Masters final will be played over the best of 19 frames, with the sessions commencing at 1pm and 7pm UTC.
Featured photos credit: WST
Hawkins leads 11-10 in meetings longer than best of 5. Their previous two finals were both in Germany, as Hawkins beat him in the final of the 2019 Paul Hunter Classic.
Hawkins playing in a 12th ranking final and Wilson appearing in a 17th.
A few years ago, in a World Championship last 16 tie, Hawkins and Wilson served up nine centuries, a record for a best of 25 contest. The tally has only been bettered twice in any snooker match.