Masters 2023: Ronnie O'Sullivan to play Luca Brecel in first round; Neil Robertson faces Shaun Murphy
- Published
Australia's Neil Robertson beat England's Barry Hawkins 10-4 to win the 2022 Masters
2023 Masters |
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Venue: Alexandra Palace, London. Dates: 8-15 January |
Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, Red Button, BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app |
World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan will play Luca Brecel in the first round of the Masters, while reigning champion Neil Robertson faces Shaun Murphy.
The event, one of snooker's three events in the sport's 'Triple Crown', will take place at London's Alexandra Palace from 8-15 January.
The draw for the first round took place during the UK Championship final between Ding Junhui and Mark Allen.
China's Ding misses out on the Masters after losing 10-7 to Allen.
The Masters features the top 16 players in the world rankings at the end of the UK Championship and Ding would have moved up from 38th to 10th if he defeated Northern Ireland's Allen.
After Ding lost to Allen, the last spot in the Masters will be taken by China's Yan Bingtao who will play three-time world champion Mark Williams.
Belgian Brecel, 27, is ranked 11th in the world and lost in the final of the 2021 UK Championship.
The match between Robertson and Murphy sees two former world champions go head-to-head, while Allen will hope to continue his good form when he takes on Barry Hawkins, who lost to Robertson in the 2022 Masters final.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the Masters a record seven times
2023 Masters first-round draw
Mark Selby (ENG) v Zhao Xintong (CHN)
Judd Trump (ENG) v Ryan Day (WAL)
Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) v Luca Brecel (BEL)
John Higgins (SCO) v Jack Lisowski (ENG)
Neil Robertson (AUS) v Shaun Murphy (ENG)
Kyren Wilson (ENG) v Stuart Bingham (ENG)
Mark Allen (NI) v Barry Hawkins (ENG)
Mark Williams (WAL) v Yan Bingtao (CHN)
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