O’Sullivan to Clash with Higgins in Masters Opener

Ronnie O’Sullivan, who first claimed the Masters title in 1995, is scheduled to play two-time victor John Higgins in the initial round of the competition next month. The current champion is pursuing a record-extending ninth Masters trophy. Both O’Sullivan and Higgins belong to snooker’s renowned ‘Class of 92’. Their upcoming encounter will echo the finals of 2005 and 2006, where the English player and the Scottish player each secured one victory. This esteemed invitational competition, recognized as one of snooker’s Triple Crown events, is scheduled to be held at Alexandra Palace in London from January 12 to 19. The pairings for the first round were determined during the UK Championship final. Among them, Barry Hawkins and Judd Trump, who holds the world number one ranking, have been drawn to compete against each other once more at the Masters. Current world champion Kyren Wilson is set to compete against Zhang Anda. Additionally, Mark Williams, a three-time winner of the Crucible, will go head-to-head with Ding Junhui. The Masters tournament comprises the top 16 players from the world rankings as they stood following the conclusion of the UK Championship. The complete list of first-round matches for the Masters is as follows: Ronnie O’Sullivan v John Higgins Kyren Wilson v Zhang Anda Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins Mark Selby v Ali Carter Mark Allen v Si Jiahui Mark Williams v Ding Junhui Luca Brecel v Chris Wakelin Shaun Murphy v Gary Wilson