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Ronnie O'Sullivan to face old rival as snooker Masters draw made

nytimespostDecember 1, 20242 Mins read6 Views

Ronnie O’Sullivan is set to face his Class of 92 rival John Higgins at the Masters next month after being drawn against the Scot in the opening round. The tournament, which forms part of snooker’s Triple Crown alongside the World Championship and UK Championship, is set to get underway at Alexandra Palace on Sunday, January 12.

O’Sullivan and Higgins have gone head-to-head in the Masters final on three occasions. The Rocket won the showpiece matches against the Scot in 1995 and 2005, with Higgins getting his revenge in 2006.

The two players have played each other a total of 79 times during their illustrious careers, with the Rocket winning 41 of those encounters.

O’Sullivan, 48, clinched the Masters title at the start of this year after defeating Ali Carter 10-7 in the final.

That result moved him two clear of Stephen Hendry in the Masters all-time standings, with the Scot tasting success six times at the tournament during his playing days. Higgins, meanwhile, has won the competition twice.

“I don’t know how I won this tournament,” O’Sullivan explained after his Masters triumph this year. “I’ve just dug deep, tried to play with a bit of freedom tonight and just tried to keep Ali honest.

“If he was to win, he would’ve had to scrape me off the table. I just wanted to see if he had it at the end and could he get over the line – that was my mindset coming into the evening session.”

The 2025 first round draw will also pit reigning world champion Kyren Wilson against Zhang Anda, who made a maximum break at the UK Championship in the week.

World No. 1 Judd Trump will once again face off with Barry Hawkins, with the duo meeting in the UK Championship final on Sunday. And two-time Masters winner Mark Williams will take on 2011 champion Ding Junhui in his opening match.

Last year’s runner-up Carter will go head-to-head with three-time winner Mark Selby, while Luca Brecel will be in action against Chris Wakelin.

And Shaun Murphy, who was called out by UK Championship semi-finalist Mark Allen on Saturday night after accusing the star of playing slowly on purpose, will begin his campaign with a clash against Gary Wilson.