Masters snooker: Murphy defends title as O'Sullivan withdraws

The Masters is underway this weekend as the best 16 players in the world battle for one of snooker’s most prestigious prizes, Independent.co reports. Shaun Murphy, last year’s champion, returns to Alexandra Palace in north London to defend his crown and opens with a first-round match on Sunday 11 January against Wu Yize, one of five Chinese players in this year’s tournament; Ronnie O’Sullivan withdrew at the 11th hour and has been replaced by Chris Wakelin.

World No 1 Judd Trump, the favourite to win the tournament, takes on Ding Junhui in a first-round match on Wednesday 14 January, while world champion Zhao Xintong begins against Gary Wilson on Monday 12 January. Chris Wakelin will start his campaign on Wednesday against Neil Robertson.

Broadcast details list live coverage across BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer with first-round sessions at 13:00 and 19:00 on the opening days. The final is scheduled for Sunday 18 January (best of 19 frames) with coverage 13:00–17:15 and 19:00–22:00 on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

Key Topics

Sports, Shaun Murphy, Wu Yize, Ronnie O'sullivan, Chris Wakelin, Judd Trump