Ronnie O'Sullivan will be the man to beat in London, having won the title in three of the last four years, as well as winning three times already this season, including the season's first Triple Crown event at the UK Championship.
There are also a few notable absentees, including 2012 champion Neil Robertson. The Australian made it to both of the first two Alexandra Palace finals, and has been to three of the six finals stage there finishing runner-up in 2013 and 2015. You have to go back all the way to 2006 however to find the last Masters that did not feature Robertson, and ironically enough he made it back into the top 16 by winning in Scotland, the week after the Masters cut-off.
The other changes to the field from last year see suspended Stuart Bingham out, whilst last year's runner-up Joe Perry fell out of the top 16 at the end of the 2016/2017 season and has not been able to force his way back in.
There are a couple of debutants as Luca Brecel competes in the first of surely many Masters for him, after breaking into the top 16 courtesy of his win in August at the China Championship. Anthony McGill is the other debutant, while Ryan Day returns to the tournament for the first time since 2010 and a first appearance at the Alexandra Palace.
Draw
Quarter 1
Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Marco Fu - Since missing the Masters in 2013 as part of his year out of the game, O'Sullivan has made three of the last four finals and was only defeated in the 2015 semi-finals by Neil Robertson. 12 times a finalist and seven times a Masters champion, O'Sullivan is so incredibly difficult to beat in front of a boisterous home support. Given the form he is in this season, winning the UK Championship, English Open and making the final of the Champion of Champions he has thrived in the events on home soil, and I think everyone else in the field is going to be up against it from the get go this week.
Marco Fu does not have a bad record in London, he made the final in 2011 before then falling out of the top 16 and appearing next in 2014. In his last four appearances he has only lost in round one once - to Neil Robertson in 2016 - though he has played O'Sullivan twice in the last three years at the Palace losing on both occasions. It's been a quiet season for Fu who has failed to get past the last 16 in a meaningful event so far and I don't see that changing here this week.
Prediction: O'Sullivan to win 6-3
Mark Allen Vs Luca Brecel - In 9 consecutive appearances at the Masters Allen has only lost in the first round twice, but has also only made it past the quarter-finals on two occasions. That is by no means a bad record for the Northern Irishman but he will be looking to take a step forward this year, having looked in good form so far this season. A final at the International Championship and a semi-final in Yushan earlier in this season were impressive, and he has been scoring heavily throughout the first half of the campaign. He did withdraw from the recent Championship League for family reasons, so hopefully that is nothing too serious and Allen will be able to focus fully on the game ahead against Brecel.
The Belgium is on debut in the Masters in what will be the first of many appearances in this tournament for the youngster. He has had an excellent first half to the season winning his first major ranking title but he also made semi-finals at the World Open and the Champion of Champions to show that that was in no way a one-off. The concern for Brecel is his shoulder, having exited early in a couple of tournaments before Christmas and withdrawing from another in order to rest his shoulder. Hopefully with some rest and treatment over Christmas he will be fully fit for this match, otherwise he could come up short here.
The Belgium is on debut in the Masters in what will be the first of many appearances in this tournament for the youngster. He has had an excellent first half to the season winning his first major ranking title but he also made semi-finals at the World Open and the Champion of Champions to show that that was in no way a one-off. The concern for Brecel is his shoulder, having exited early in a couple of tournaments before Christmas and withdrawing from another in order to rest his shoulder. Hopefully with some rest and treatment over Christmas he will be fully fit for this match, otherwise he could come up short here.
Prediction: Allen to come through a tight match 6-5
Quarter Prediction: Ronnie O'Sullivan
Quarter 2
John Higgins Vs Anthony McGill - For a player of his quality, Higgins recent Masters record is slightly surprising. He has not made it past the quarter-finals since the first year at the Palace in 2012, and only passed the quarter-finals twice since he last won the event way back in 2006. After his first round exit last year, he has lost in round one in six of his last 11 appearances. Higgins has had a decent start to the season, but would have been disappointed to come up just short again in his home event, losing in the Scottish Open semi-finals just before Christmas. There have also been a couple of quarter-finals and semi-finals mixed in amongst the Indian Open title the Scot took home in September. I think he has the best chance of anyone in this quarter of winning the title, and there is certainly a big possibility of yet another O'Sullivan and Higgins match-up this week in the semi-finals. That would be the biggest challenge for Higgins if he is to win another Masters title, which he has shown he is still more than capable of.
Anthony McGill is on debut at the Masters and facing his fellow countryman for the third time this season after two unsuccessful encounters for McGill in the Indian Open final and Champion of Champions first round, losing 5-1 and 4-0 respectively. After a good start early on in the season, things have gone south for McGill since the English Open, with early exits in his last seven events. He has looked good in patches there but he will need to find another level here if Higgins is at his best.
Anthony McGill is on debut at the Masters and facing his fellow countryman for the third time this season after two unsuccessful encounters for McGill in the Indian Open final and Champion of Champions first round, losing 5-1 and 4-0 respectively. After a good start early on in the season, things have gone south for McGill since the English Open, with early exits in his last seven events. He has looked good in patches there but he will need to find another level here if Higgins is at his best.
Prediction: Higgins to win 6-2
Ding Junhui Vs Ryan Day - Last year, at the sixth attempt, Ding Junhui finally won his first match at the Alexandra Palace. Despite this, he was defeated in the quarter-finals meaning he has only won that one match since he won the title in 2011. That is a really odd record for someone of the immense quality of Ding, but in a few of those matches he has looked poor and slightly rusty coming back from the Christmas break. After his loss to Shaun Murphy in the first round in 2014 he suggested that he doesn't like the Ally Pally as a venue and has not put in enough practice over the Christmas break to be ready for the event. Four years on you would hope he has addressed those faults and is ready for a big run at the Palace. It has been a quiet time for him since winning the World Open, withdrawing from an event or two and suffering surprise early exits like in the UK Championship against Leo Fernandez. He has had an eye problem but hopefully that is now long gone and he will be able to focus on this tournament.
Ryan Day does have a good record against the Chinese number 1 though, beating him in both the World Championship and UK Championships in 2012, as well as beating him on home soil at the 2015 International Championship and nearly doing so at the Shanghai Masters in the same season, as well as beating him in the 2015 German Masters, after narrowly losing in the semi-finals to Ding in the same tournament a year earlier. I'm not sure what it is about Day that makes him such a consistent threat against Ding, but he has certainly shown it is not a one-off. If 2018 is as good to the Welshman as 2017 was then he is going to be in for another excellent year, after making the World Grand Prix final, wining the Riga Masters and making the UK Championship semi-finals in December. The 37-year-old has certainly shown more of his quality in the last 12 months and I think he is more than capable of having a big run here at the Alexandra Palace this week.
Ryan Day does have a good record against the Chinese number 1 though, beating him in both the World Championship and UK Championships in 2012, as well as beating him on home soil at the 2015 International Championship and nearly doing so at the Shanghai Masters in the same season, as well as beating him in the 2015 German Masters, after narrowly losing in the semi-finals to Ding in the same tournament a year earlier. I'm not sure what it is about Day that makes him such a consistent threat against Ding, but he has certainly shown it is not a one-off. If 2018 is as good to the Welshman as 2017 was then he is going to be in for another excellent year, after making the World Grand Prix final, wining the Riga Masters and making the UK Championship semi-finals in December. The 37-year-old has certainly shown more of his quality in the last 12 months and I think he is more than capable of having a big run here at the Alexandra Palace this week.
Prediction: Day to beat Ding 6-3
Quarter Prediction: John Higgins
Quarter 3
Judd Trump Vs Liang Wenbo - This will be Judd Trump's seventh successive Masters appearance, though he is yet to reach a final, and has lost in round one on three of those six previous occasions, all of which have come in his last four appearances in fact. Trump has hinted that he perhaps puts too much pressure on himself going into these Triple Crown events which may explain his poor record in them in the last couple of years, having failed to pass the last 32 in the UK Championship in his last three attempts as well as losing in the first round at the Crucible in 2017, when he was heavily fancied to win the title. Trump has had a mixed season so far with a win in Belgium in October as well as another final in Shanghai, though there have been a few other early exits so it is difficult to know what to expect from him. If he comes to London in top form this week, he is a massive contender to bag a second triple crown event victory.
Meanwhile, this will be Liang Wenbo's third straight appearance but after exits to John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan, he is still searching for a first victory in the event. The draw certainly has not been any kinder to him this year throwing a match-up with the number three seed Trump, though he has beaten Trump in a couple of big matches previously. Trump was the victim in the final when Liang won the English Open in 2016, while in 2015 he came back from 4-1 down to beat Trump in the UK Championships on the way to reaching the final. Even in the 2016 World Championship Liang led 7-3 before eventually losing out 10-8 so the Chinese number 2 is not to be underestimated, and will also be looking to rectify a missed opportunity to beat O'Sullivan a year ago by defeating Trump.
Meanwhile, this will be Liang Wenbo's third straight appearance but after exits to John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan, he is still searching for a first victory in the event. The draw certainly has not been any kinder to him this year throwing a match-up with the number three seed Trump, though he has beaten Trump in a couple of big matches previously. Trump was the victim in the final when Liang won the English Open in 2016, while in 2015 he came back from 4-1 down to beat Trump in the UK Championships on the way to reaching the final. Even in the 2016 World Championship Liang led 7-3 before eventually losing out 10-8 so the Chinese number 2 is not to be underestimated, and will also be looking to rectify a missed opportunity to beat O'Sullivan a year ago by defeating Trump.
Prediction: Trump to overcome Liang 6-3
Shaun Murphy Vs Ali Carter - Shaun Murphy is, first of all, looking for his first win at the Masters since taking the title in 2015. However, in his first four appearances at the Palace he made it to at least the semi-finals on each occasion. It has been a first half to the season that Murphy himself has hailed as his "best ever". As well as defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final to take home the Champion of Champions title, Murphy made three other finals at the China Championship, Paul Hunter Classic and of course the UK Championships in York. The Magician's confidence will be high and given his aggressive style of play, that is a very dangerous sign for everyone else in the field. When he won here in 2015 it was a runaway victory in the end and if he plays as well as he did then or in the UK Championships a month ago, he is a major contender to take the title.
By contrast, Ali Carter has made ten appearances in the first round of the Masters in his career (including a debut in 2000 after making it through as a wildcard) but has only gone beyond round one on two occasions and is yet to make a semi-final in the event. His form this season has not been the best either. In ten ranking events so far he has lost in the first or second round on seven occasions, with a best run coming at the China Championship before losing to Shaun Murphy in the semi-finals. Overall though, his record against Murphy is a good one, overcoming him at the start of November 6-2 in the last 16 of the International Championship. Prior to Murphy's win at the China Championship, Carter had defeated him in their last three meetings and beat him twice on the way to winning group four in the Championship League this week. With everything weighed up I think we can expect a really tight game between these two on Wednesday.
By contrast, Ali Carter has made ten appearances in the first round of the Masters in his career (including a debut in 2000 after making it through as a wildcard) but has only gone beyond round one on two occasions and is yet to make a semi-final in the event. His form this season has not been the best either. In ten ranking events so far he has lost in the first or second round on seven occasions, with a best run coming at the China Championship before losing to Shaun Murphy in the semi-finals. Overall though, his record against Murphy is a good one, overcoming him at the start of November 6-2 in the last 16 of the International Championship. Prior to Murphy's win at the China Championship, Carter had defeated him in their last three meetings and beat him twice on the way to winning group four in the Championship League this week. With everything weighed up I think we can expect a really tight game between these two on Wednesday.
Prediction: Murphy to win a tight tussle 6-5
Quarter Prediction: Shaun Murphy
Quarter 4
Barry Hawkins Vs Kyren Wilson - Prior to the Masters of 2016 Barry Hawkins was yet to win a match in the event, but when that duck was broken he marched on, beating an in-form Judd Trump amongst others on the way to making the final. Last year he nearly made that back-to-back Masters finals before a comeback from Joe Perry saw Hawkins fall in the last four. Interestingly, in the Championship League over the last week or so, Hawkins has met Wilson four times with Hawkins winning three of those matches with an overall aggregate score of 10-4. The season so far has been a tough one for Hawkins, though if you look at his history in the last few years he is notoriously much stronger after Christmas and that may well be the case again this season.
This is only Kyren Wilson's second appearance in the Masters, losing in round one last year to give Ding his first win at the Ally Pally. It has been a decent season so far for Wilson making two finals, but since losing the English Open final he has played in six ranking events, losing in the last 32 on three occasions and suffering three first round exits. Winning group three of Championship League will hopefully give him some confidence to bring to London, and based on the form of both players I think this will be a really tight match.
This is only Kyren Wilson's second appearance in the Masters, losing in round one last year to give Ding his first win at the Ally Pally. It has been a decent season so far for Wilson making two finals, but since losing the English Open final he has played in six ranking events, losing in the last 32 on three occasions and suffering three first round exits. Winning group three of Championship League will hopefully give him some confidence to bring to London, and based on the form of both players I think this will be a really tight match.
Prediction: Hawkins to win another tight game 6-4
Mark Selby Vs Mark Williams - This is a repeat of a first round classic from last year where Mark Selby came through 6-5 against Mark Williams. They've met three times since then as well, with Selby coming out on top in the China Open final and International Championship last 16 on the way to another tournament victory, while Williams won 5-3 in the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters prior to a tournament victory the next week in Northern Ireland. Williams though has only made it beyond the quarter-final stages at the Masters once since he last won the title in 2003. That includes round one exits in the last two years after failing to qualify in 2014 and 2015. As mentioned already, the Welshman is in really good form so far this season. He got off to a very strong start with four quarter-finals and a semi-final before defeating Yan Bingtao 9-8 to win in Northern Ireland.
Mark Selby meanwhile has an excellent Masters record and it always takes a special performance to beat him. After making the final the first three years he played in the tournament, winning twice in 2008 and 2010 he then lost to the eventual finalist in the 2012 quarter-finals before winning again in 2013 and losing the 2014 final to O'Sullivan. In 2015 he may have lost in round one, but that was 6-5 against eventual winner Shaun Murphy and in the 2016 quarter-finals he again lost to the eventual champion O'Sullivan. Selby has got a trophy under his belt this season at the International Championships where he was in excellent form, but early exits in the UK Championships and the English Open - both won by O'Sullivan - mean that over the last couple of months he has been upstaged a little by the Rocket. Overall, you have to give Selby the edge here and I fully expect him to turn up at the Palace on Sunday afternoon firing on all cylinders and ready to win a fourth Masters title, and as his record in this event shows it is going to take an excellent performance to see him off.
Prediction: Selby to show good form winning 6-3
Quarter Prediction: Barry Hawkins
Tournament Winner Selection: Ronnie O'Sullivan
UK viewers will have the choice of BBC coverage or Eurosport coverage this week, with Neil Robertson featuring as a studio guest for Eurosport throughout the week which will provide fascinating insight from the most recent ranking event winner on the tour. With the best players in the world gunning for glory this is once again likely to be an excellent showcase of snooker at the Alexandra Palace.
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