2024 MASTERS PREVIEW
Happy new year! 2024 is underway, and next Sunday the Masters will get underway too. I'm really looking forward to that, so I decided to go through the draw, write a bit about the players and make a few predictions on the way.
In the last few years this tournament has revolutionized crowd experience in snooker. The atmosphere in London's Ally Pally is one of the best we have in the sport.
And here's what the draw is looking like:
Quarter 1
Judd Trump v Kyren Wilson
Mark Williams v Ali Carter
This is why we always use the phrase "every match is like a final" at this event. These four players combine for 4 titles won this season, and 8 final appearances.
Kyren Wilson, though, hasn't been responsible for any of those numbers as uncharacteristically he's had a quiet start to the season. His opponent, the defending champion Judd Trump, is the obvious favourite to make out of this quarter, having played five finals this season and won three consecutive ranking titles in October.
Mark Williams has won one title out of two finals he's played this season, and he's up against October's Wuhan Open finalist Ali Carter. The Welshman was really close to winning the Masters last year, and he's still playing some of the best snooker of his career - if he can get through a very tough first hurdle in Ali Carter, I would fancy him against Trump in a potential quarterfinal.
Quarter 2
Mark Selby v Robert Milkins
Mark Allen v John Higgins
Milkins has improved a lot under pressure, so he might do better than his frame record at the Masters would suggest (only five frames won in two previous appearances). But I don't think he'll run an in-form 3x champion Mark Selby close.
So to me, this quarter section is about who plays Selby in the quarterfinal. Allen has won the Champion of Champions in November and the Shoot-Out in December, while Higgins' still struggling to finish matches off. At some time Higgins will turn things around and get back winning, but in this particular meeting with Allen I fell that Higgins's poor tactical play as of late will find him out.
Quarter 3
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Ding Junhui
Neil Robertson v Barry Hawkins
The Masters is a tournament that suits Ronnie a lot, so naturally every time he wins the UK Championship it means that he's in form and that he's favourite to win it. But he's never won the UK and the Masters in the same season, and that's why he's never come close to completing a season Triple Crown. And although he's my pick to win the tile, his first round is a challenge, and he plays an in-form Ding Junhui whom he just beat in the UK Championship final - he'll need a similar performance to get through round one.
As for Roberston, his 2023 was a struggle and the first time in 18 years that he didn't win a trophy. In the first half of the season he only managed to win two matches out of 8 played, losing all the ranking ones.
For a player of his calibre that's likely to turnaround at some point, and the Masters might have just what he needs to spark his form back into life. But having said that, he might've got the worst possible first round draw, as his opponent Barry Hawkins is the most solid player out there and will require Robertson to play his best snooker to win - something he hasn't done in a long while.
Quarter 4
Shaun Murphy v Zhang Anda
Luca Brecel v Jack Lisowski
This is the most open section of the draw. The player currently in best form out of these four is Zhang Anda, who also happens to be the only debutant in the draw.
Murphy and Brecel both had decent starts to the season, but neither have managed to win many matches lately. Lisowski hasn't had the best season of his career either, as he still looks for a big breakthrough win on tour.
If Zhang can hold himself under pressure (I expect him to, since he's done that all season when he's played the biggest matches of his career), he's got a great chance to make the semifinals here.
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