Further increasing their involvement in snooker, it has recently been announced that Betfair will sponsor the 2013 Masters tournament, in addition to the German Masters, Shoot Out and European Tour events already under its banner.
With the announcement also comes the draw for the 2013 event which you can view here, click below for more…
- Click here to view the draw for the 2013 Masters
Neil Robertson will begin the defence of his Masters title against the man who he succeeded as champion just twelve months ago, 2011 champion Ding Junhui, in what promises to be a terrific opening match for the tournament.
Elsewhere, new world number one Judd Trump will kick off against Australian Goldfields Open champion Barry Hawkins, who following confirmation that both Ronnie O’Sullivan and the suspended Stephen Lee will not form part of the draw, will take of of those places. Also joining Barry is 17th ranked Mark Davis, who will compete in the tournament for the first time in a decade and will play fellow On Q player Mark Allen in his first match.
Two-time champion John Higgins will begin his campaign against Ali Carter, who made sure of his place with a strong late surge in recent events prior to the cut-off, while another two-time winner in Mark Selby will meet Stuart Bingham.
There will also be an all-Scottish affair between Stephen Maguire and Graeme Dott, while Welsh duo Mark Williams and Matthew Stevens, both former Masters champions, will also square off in the opening round.
Finally, last year’s runner-up Shaun Murphy will begin his tournament against Ricky Walden.
The opening round schedule is as follows:
Sunday January 13
1pm: Neil Robertson v Ding Junhui
7pm: Mark Allen v Mark Davis
Monday January 14
1pm: John Higgins v Ali Carter
7pm: Stephen Maguire v Graeme Dott
Tuesday January 15
1pm: Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins
7pm: Shaun Murphy v Ricky Walden
Wednesday January 16
1.30pm: Mark Williams v Matthew Stevens
7pm: Mark Selby v Stuart Bingham