2019 Masters

Frank O. Pinion · 08-01-2019 10:45am #1

Starts this Sunday, 13th January, finishes the following Sunday, 20th January. It's the 45th staging of the tournament. Winner's prize (non-ranking) is £200,000. Best-of-11s until the final, which is a best-of-19.

Round of 16:

Mark Allen (defending champion & #1 ranked player of the season) v Luca Brecel
Ding Junhui v Jack Lisowski (Masters debut)
John Higgins v Ryan Day
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Stuart Bingham
Mark Selby v Stephen Maguire
Judd Trump v Kyren Wilson (last year's runner-up)
Barry Hawkins v Shaun Murphy
Mark Williams v Neil Robertson

Inviere · 08-01-2019 4:22pm

Brilliant, love the Masters.

AllForIt · 10-01-2019 12:32am

I feel The Masters is a more prestigious tournament now that the UK because ,well, the UK has been ruined.

Joe_ Public · 10-01-2019 1:17am

Yes, masters definitely no.2 on the list I’d say. All the top players, great venue (though I still miss the old wembley), proper atmosphere. The uk is seriously diminished in my eyes for sure, but we’re coming into the best part of the season now so exciting few months ahead. Bring it on!

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 11-01-2019 12:05pm

The Masters is undoubtedly the #2 tournament now. The atmosphere at the UK is just awful with the four tables and the cavernous arena. As Ronnie said a few years ago, "It's like asking Roger Federer to go and play on court 13 at Wimbledon in front of three men and a dog."

I fancy Ronnie for an eighth Masters title, but Allen will put up a good fight too.

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 12-01-2019 8:28pm

The Masters gets underway tomorrow, Sunday. Order of play:

1pm: Mark Allen vs Luca Brecel

7pm: John Higgins vs Ryan Day

Arthur Daley · 12-01-2019 8:56pm

Still not a ranking event though, so not sure it is really quite as coveted as the UK or one or two of the big Chinese events. May as well say the Champions of Champions is a big event. I mean it is, but an invitational event is never going to be quite the same as a full ranking tournament, for me anyway.

Joe_ Public · 12-01-2019 9:21pm

You could argue about the uk but none of the chinese events is in the same stratosphere as the masters and I doubt even any of the chinese players would try to claim so. The atmosphere at the China tournaments is terrible. The masters has history, tradition and prestige behind it and the fact it’s not a ranking title is of no consequence, merely adds to its mystique if anything.

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 12-01-2019 9:25pm

A full ranking tournament these days means watching some taxi driver ranked #120 in the world getting annihilated 5-0 by a top pro and heading home having lost a couple of thousand pounds in tournament fees and expenses that he doesn't have to spare. It's an immiserating experience for all involved, and it's why I'm glad to see tournaments like the Masters where we don't have to go through that charade.

AllForIt · 12-01-2019 9:32pm

Here's a fun warm up, a memorable frame.

Arthur Daley · 12-01-2019 10:21pm

China Open winner gets £225,000 so it has to be up there surely. Masters winner £200,000 and UK winner £175,000. Last 16 of the China Open gets £18,000, Last 16 of the Masters £12,500.

AllForIt · 12-01-2019 11:13pm

Arthur Daley wrote: »

China Open winner gets £225,000 so it has to be up there surely. Masters winner £200,000 and UK winner £175,000. Last 16 of the China Open gets £18,000, Last 16 of the Masters £12,500.

I don't get anything but I'd still prefer The Masters : )

Joe_ Public · 12-01-2019 11:17pm

All it proves for me is that the chinese have a lot of muscle when it comes to pumping money into tournaments. I don’t believe you can just simply buy all the history and prestige those other events have, including the masters. The heartland of the sport is in the uk and I think that’s just the way it is. Doesn’t mean it has to be that way forever of course, things could look very different 20-30 years down the road. Don’t think it’s position in the calendar helps the status of the China Open all that much.

Arthur Daley · 12-01-2019 11:27pm

Yeah, would never want to see the Worlds move from Sheffield for example. But even back in the mid 80s I used to think the B&H Masters was a slightly lesser tournament, but then the UK was a proper matchplay tournament then. Actually I think Snooker's old school used to look down on the Masters quite a bit, in a subtle enough way, but then they could afford to do that a bit more in the mid 80s. Especially when it was at Wembley and you'd have a right rowdy audience in there, far more than any other venue, boozing, smoking and shouting, especially when Alex or Jimmy was playing.

Joe_ Public · 13-01-2019 12:01am

Yes I think that’s right. Took a while for it to find its feet I think, they meddled a bit with the format early on before settling on the top 16 straight knock out. Not quite sure when the status of “major” was conferred but I do remember every tournament feeling like a big one back then simply because there were so few of them. I know the consensus is that things are all so much better now but apart from this week and the worlds, I don’t feel much sense of anticipation about most of the tournaments anymore. They just seem to be on, all of the time.

Personally I loved the old wembley, sadly only made it the once but couldn’t get a ticket to see alex. The atmosphere the year he beat davis (85 I think) was something else, fair bit of riff raff it has to be said. Old Joe Davis would most definitely not have approved!

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 13-01-2019 2:14pm

Play underway now on BBC 2. Allen vs Brecel.

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 13-01-2019 3:09pm

Brecel leads 3-1 at the interval. Allen not really at the races so far.

Joe_ Public · 13-01-2019 3:12pm

Surprised at that scoreline, Allen with it all to do though fancy he might still turn it around.

Inviere · 13-01-2019 3:59pm

Best I’ve seen Luca play in, well, ever really. Hope he gets the job done today

Joe_ Public · 13-01-2019 4:02pm

He’s not a player I rate very highly at all but he is turning it on a bit today alright to be fair to him.

Inviere · 13-01-2019 4:08pm

That’ll be 4-4 I’d say

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 13-01-2019 4:34pm

Deciding frame coming up shortly...

Inviere · 13-01-2019 4:36pm

Gracelynn Stale Vow wrote: »

Deciding frame coming up shortly...

Huge chunk of luck missing the canon on the pink, to develop and land on a red there by Allen. Can see him getting in now and finishing the match off quickly enough

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 13-01-2019 4:53pm

Brecel wins 6-5!

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 13-01-2019 8:32pm

Higgins vs Day on the red button now, with Hendry in the commentary box. Today is Hendry's 50th birthday.

Higgins leading 1-0 right now.

Joe_ Public · 13-01-2019 8:41pm

Not great if you’ve no red button! Stuck watching on a betting website.

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 13-01-2019 8:55pm

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Not great if you’ve no red button! Stuck watching on a betting website.

That's too bad.

Fairly scrappy match so far. Higgins leading 2-0 with Day looking nervy and playing poor positional shots.

Joe_ Public · 13-01-2019 9:14pm

Gracelynn Stale Vow wrote: »

That's too bad.

Fairly scrappy match so far. Higgins leading 2-0 with Day looking nervy and playing poor positional shots.

Used to love bbc coverage but would be happy enough now to see the whole lot given over to Eurosport. Red button is a total cop out imo and I’d still say that if I had access!

Day missed a trick there for 2-2, went for an insanely risky pot there I think.

Arthur Daley · 13-01-2019 10:42pm

Heard JV back again in the earlier match. I still like to see the BBC stick by the old players and keep the continuity. While also trying out new voices every year at Sheffield. Some of which don't really work out. E.g. Ebdon

Arthur Daley · 13-01-2019 10:58pm

Ryan Day ahould have put Higgins to bed in that last frame. Instead it's 4-4 and all a bit scrappy

Joe_ Public · 13-01-2019 11:02pm

This is a poor match really. One player is going to fall over the line. I backed higgins outright but he doesn’t look like a guy who could go deep in a tournament out there, let alone even win this match!

2019 Masters

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