The Snooker Masters tournament begins today at 9 PM Beijing time. As the competition features only the top sixteen seeded players in the world rankings, it is considered a high-quality event and is ranked alongside the World Championship and UK Championship as one of the three major professional snooker tournaments.
Ding Junhui will face Mark Williams again
The Masters offers substantial prize money, with participants being the top sixteen players in the world rankings after the 2024 UK Championship. This year's Masters sees three Chinese players participating: Ding Junhui, Si Jiahui, and Zhang Anda. Due to the withdrawal of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Neil Robertson, who was ranked 17th at the end of last year's UK Championship, has been lucky enough to be selected as a substitute. However, China's Xiao Guodong, who was ranked 18th at the time, did not qualify for the competition.
The opening match of this year's Masters will see Neil Robertson, replacing O'Sullivan, face Higgins. Although Robertson has fallen out of the top sixteen, the Wizard is advanced in years and lacking in energy, so whether he can defeat Robertson remains uncertain. The second match will take place at 3 AM Beijing time on the 13th, with the opponents being Magician Murphy and taxi driver Gary Wilson.
Ding Junhui
Chinese player Ding Junhui's first match will begin at 9 PM on the 13th, against the left-handed Mark Williams. This will be a rematch between Ding Junhui and Uncle Ma, following the Lhasa Tianren Cup Challenge a few days ago. Ding Junhui recently defeated Ma Wei 5-3 in the Lhasa tournament, and we hope he can continue his winning streak in the Masters.
Si Jiahui
The other two Chinese players' match times are as follows: at 3 AM Beijing time on January 15th, Si Jiahui will face off against Little Cannon Allen; at 9 PM on the 15th, Zhang Anda will challenge Jester Wilson. It should be said that both matches will be tough, and Si Jiahui and Zhang Anda will need to perform at their best if they want to advance past the first round and into the quarterfinals.