The 2024 MrQ Masters will get below means on Sunday, with the likes of reigning champion Judd Trump and world primary Ronnie O’Sullivan within the draw.
The primary piece of silverware of the brand new calendar 12 months shall be claimed subsequent Sunday on the Alexandra Palace in London.
World champion Luca Brecel, Mark Allen, Mark Selby, and Neil Robertson are among the many others competing for the Paul Hunter Trophy.
The fiftieth version of the distinguished invitational may also characteristic the likes of former champions John Higgins, Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy, and Ding Junhui.
Let’s check out every quarter of the 2024 Masters draw, with a rundown of the eight first-round ties.
2024 Masters draw and schedule
Quarter 1
Judd Trump (1) vs Kyren Wilson (9)
Tuesday, 1pm
———-
Mark Williams (8) vs Ali Carter (11)
Monday, 7pm
Each of final 12 months’s finalists characteristic within the prime quarter of the 2024 Masters draw.
Judd Trump beat Mark Williams 10-8 to seize the crown for the second time twelve months in the past.
In the event that they negotiate their preliminary hurdles, the pair would conflict once more within the quarter-finals this time round.
Trump’s defence begins with a match in opposition to Kyren Wilson, who has usually struggled for prime type this season.
Whereas Trump already has three items of silverware this time period from 5 remaining appearances, Wilson’s greatest return was a solitary quarter-final run on the European Masters.
The pinnacle-to-head additionally reads favourably for Trump, who beat Wilson 6-1 the final time they crossed paths on the Ally Pally a 12 months in the past.
Reigning British Open champion Williams, in the meantime, faces reigning German Masters champion Ali Carter.
The latter is again within the Masters area for the primary time since 2020, when he reached the ultimate solely to be denied glory by Stuart Bingham.
Williams is a two-time former Masters champion who boasts a 20-16 win-loss file in opposition to Carter from all competitions.
Quarter 2
Mark Selby (5) vs Robert Milkins (14)
Wednesday, 7pm
———-
Mark Allen (4) vs John Higgins (10)
Wednesday, 1pm
Three extra former Masters champions are concerned within the prime half of the attract 2024.
Three-time winner Mark Selby will entertain Robert Milkins, whereas Mark Allen has drawn John Higgins.
After a promising begin to the 2023/24 marketing campaign the place he reached the final 4 of the European Masters and the ultimate of the British Open, issues have gone just a little quiet for Selby.
Nonetheless, the Leicester man shall be a powerful favorite in opposition to an opponent in Milkins who has struggled badly this time period to copy his type from early-2023.
Milkins beat Selby final 12 months en path to capturing the Welsh Open title, however the 47 year-old solely has 4 victories over his fellow Englishman from 18 total encounters.
Higgins, the champion in 1999 and 2006, challenges 2018 winner Allen within the different match on this part.
The previous has produced some robust shows just lately with out actually gaining a lot reward, regularly getting eradicated within the semi-finals of tournaments.
Allen’s transient quiet interval on the circuit ended in direction of the top of 2023 with triumphs in each the Champion of Champions and the Snooker Shoot Out.
This conflict will signify the sixth Masters assembly between Allen and Higgins, and the scoreline reads 4-1 in favour of the Northern Irishman.
Quarter 3
Ronnie O’Sullivan (3) vs Ding Junhui (12)
Monday, 1pm
———-
Neil Robertson (6) vs Barry Hawkins (15)
Tuesday, 7pm
Transferring into the underside half of the 2024 Masters draw, there are as soon as once more three former champions that includes within the third quarter.
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ding Junhui meet once more solely a month after their showdown for silverware on the UK Championship in York.
O’Sullivan prevailed on that day to seize a record-extending eighth UK crown, and he’ll be seeking to attain that variety of Masters titles subsequent week in London.
Ding, the Masters champion in 2011, returns to the competitors for the primary time since 2021 after rejoining the highest 16 on the earth rankings.
Barring just a few notable exceptions, the Chinese language competitor has usually struggled in opposition to O’Sullivan previously and has misplaced all 5 prior Masters battles with the Rocket.
The opposite fixture on this bracket sees two-time winner Neil Robertson face former runner-up Barry Hawkins.
Robertson has had a glittering profession and is broadly thought-about to be probably the greatest gamers of his technology.
However the Australian has been on arguably the worst run of type of his profession, and Hawkins might be the favorite based mostly on current outcomes.
The European Masters champion has misplaced his final 4 outings with Robertson however will not often get a greater alternative to play the Melbourne man.
That being stated, Robertson took an extended overdue break again dwelling over the vacation season, so it will likely be fascinating to see if he can come again refreshed and reinvigorated.
Quarter 4
Shaun Murphy (7) vs Zhang Anda (13)
Sunday 7pm
———-
Luca Brecel (2) vs Jack Lisowski (16)
Sunday, 1pm
World champion Luca Brecel is the second seed and has been drawn within the fourth quarter in opposition to Jack Lisowski.
Brecel has been disappointing since his scintillating string of performances in Sheffield final April and Could.
Towards Lisowski, the Belgian Bullet comes up in opposition to a participant who’s remarkably nonetheless trying to find a maiden title on the World Snooker Tour.
The pair are susceptible to producing unpredictable performances, and with this being the primary match of the match, it may very well be a troublesome one to foretell.
Lisowski boasts a touch superior head-to-head file from all competitions, however Brecel received their final tie on the 2023 Gamers Championship.
The winner will tackle both 2015 champion Shaun Murphy or Zhang Anda, who’s the one debutant within the 2024 Masters draw.
Since successful the rating occasion model of the Championship League in July, it has been a dreadful season for Murphy with a number of early exits in occasions.
Zhang, against this, is having fun with the very best spell of his profession, along with his surprising look within the English Open remaining rapidly adopted by an excellent triumph on the Worldwide Championship.
Murphy and Zhang have met solely 4 instances beforehand, with the Magician rising efficiently on three events.
2024 Masters
– draw, reside scores, outcomes –
Final 16 (bo11)
Matches to be performed from Sunday, Jan 7 to Wednesday, Jan 10. Occasions in UTC.
Judd Trump vs Kyren Wilson (Tues, 1pm)
Mark Williams vs Ali Carter (Mon, 7pm)
Mark Selby vs Robert Milkins (Wed, 7pm)
Mark Allen vs John Higgins (Wed, 1pm)
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ding Junhui (Mon, 1pm)
Neil Robertson vs Barry Hawkins (Tues, 7pm)
Shaun Murphy vs Zhang Anda (Solar, 7pm)
Luca Brecel vs Jack Lisowski (Solar, 1pm)
Quarter-Finals (bo11)
Matches to be performed on Jan 11 and Jan 12
Semi-Finals (bo11)
Matches to be performed on Jan 13
Last (bo19)
Match to be performed on Jan 14
Prize, historical past, and format
An annual fixture on the snooker schedule since 1975, the Masters is the second oldest Fundamental Tour occasion with 2024 representing the fiftieth version.
In consequence, it carries an enormous quantity of status that’s magnified by its standing as an invitational, usually granting participation to solely these ranked contained in the world’s prime 16 on the official rankings listing.
The roll of honour acts as a who’s who of the game’s best protagonists, from its inaugural winner John Spencer to its most up-to-date in Trump.
The likes of Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, Jimmy White, Paul Hunter, Cliff Thorburn, and Alex Higgins have loved Masters success too.
There are 9 former champions performing within the 2024 Masters schedule, with O’Sullivan bidding to say a record-extending eighth crown.
Selby, Higgins, Williams, Robertson, and Trump are the opposite multi-time winners competing once more this 12 months.
The Masters trophy is usually thought-about the largest and most essential to combat for aside from the World Championship itself.
A tried and examined format will see the primary three rounds contested over eleven frames earlier than the best-of-19 remaining subsequent Sunday, the place the Paul Hunter Trophy and a whopping £250,000 shall be on provide for the champion.
Tips on how to watch the 2024 Masters
The total 2024 Masters schedule shall be broadcast reside on the BBC and Eurosport.
There are numerous different broadcasters all over the world offering protection of the Masters schedule, which could be considered on the WST web site by clicking right here.
For all different territories, the motion could be adopted on the Matchroom.Stay streaming service by way of a subscription.
Featured photograph credit score: WST