Ronnie O'Sullivan to face Liang Wenbo at 2017 Masters

Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan will take on China's Liang Wenbo in the first round of the 2017 Masters at London's Alexandra Palace.

Six-time champion O'Sullivan is seeded number one after last year's 10-1 final win over Barry Hawkins, who plays Shaun Murphy in the opening round.

World number one Mark Selby faces Mark Williams, while Judd Trump comes up against Marco Fu.

The event takes place from 15 to 22 January, live on the BBC.

"It's a real jamboree of snooker and it's great for the fans," said three-time winner and BBC Sport pundit Steve Davis of the tournament, which features only the elite top-16 players in the world.

"It's the cream of the cream. Now the standard of snooker is so high anyone can make a 147 at any time."

Masters draw:

Ronnie O'Sullivan v Liang Wenbo

Neil Robertson v Ali Carter

Judd Trump v Marco Fu

John Higgins v Mark Allen

Stuart Bingham v Joe Perry

Ding Junhui v Kyren Wilson

Shaun Murphy v Barry Hawkins

Mark Selby v Mark Williams

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