Full Masters guide with first-round previews, prize money info and stats as Mark Allen opens bid for glory

We preview below Monday’s matches at the Ally Pally looking at head-to-head stats, previous Masters performances and seasonal form, plus Sunday’s scores:

Mark Allen v Si Jiahui

Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen is one of eight former Masters champions in this year’s draw and Si Jiahui is one of two Masters debutants.

Both players travel to North London on highs. Having lost in the semi-finals of four events earlier in the season, Allen won the £250,000 top prize at the Riyadh Season Championship just before Christmas, while Si won a Championship League group in Leicester just a few days ago.

It has been another notable few months for Chinese youngster Si who broke into the world’s elite top 16 bracket for the first time. He reached the last four at the Saudi Masters and hit his first 147 in professional competition on his way to making the final of the Wuhan Open - his second career ranking event final appearance.

This will be Allen’s 17th successive Masters outing since his debut in 2009. He claimed the title in 2018 but then suffered five first round exits in-a-row before getting to the last four here 12 months ago.

They have faced each other five times on the pro circuit before (Allen leads 4-1), although two of those were in the one-frame Shoot Out, where Si got his ‘W’ the last time they met a few weeks ago.

Mark Selby v Ali Carter

Three-time Masters champion Mark Selby leads the career head-to-head here, although Carter came out on top during their only previous Masters dance at this stage in 2020 (Carter 6-4).

Interestingly, Carter’s last two appearances at the Masters have seen him make the final (2020, 2024). Last year he led O’Sullivan 6-3 in the title match before losing 10-7. Selby made his Masters bow in 2008 - where he lifted the trophy on debut - and has been back every year since, although somewhat bizarrely he hasn’t reached the semi-finals since 2014.

Both players won ranking titles during the early stages of this season - Carter at the Championship League and Mark Selby at the British Open - although, since then, results have been less impressive. However, despite not getting as many wins as he’d like on the World Snooker Tour, Selby seems to be in very good nick at present and should be classed as a serious contender for this crown once again.

It is approaching four years since Selby last won a Triple Crown event; could this be the 10th of his glittering career?

Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins

Just weeks after meeting in an epic UK Championship final, two-time Masters champion Judd Trump and two-time Masters runner-up Barry Hawkins clash on a huge stage once again.

These two are no strangers to facing each other at the Alexandra Palace, they have previously played here four times with three of those ties going to a deciding frame and the other being 6-4. It is currently 2-2 on that particular score.

In terms of overall head-to-head outcomes, it is weighted in Trump’s favour. Since Hawkins triumphed at the 2023 European Masters final, Trump has won all five of their most recent meetings.

Trump has enjoyed an incredible season, that has seen him reclaim the world number one ranking. Following glory at the invitational Shanghai Masters, ‘The Ace in the Pack’ won both the Saudi Masters and the UK Championship titles, and is halfway to a ‘Judd Trump Slam’ if he can collect this season’s Masters and World Championship trophies, too.

Mark Williams v Ding Junhui

A very intriguing and keenly-contested encounter is expected here; one of two match-ups featuring former Masters champions sharing the baize.

Ding leads the head-to-head tale of the tape and won their only previous meeting at the Masters. That was a 6-4 win for the Chinese cueist in the opening round in 2011 - the year he went all the way and raised the glass trophy.

However, since his finest Masters moment, Ding - who is the only player in the tournament’s history to have compiled more than one maximum 147 break - has lost first round 9 out of his next 11 appearances. Having not qualified in 2022 and 2023, Ding’s last match win at the Masters came in 2019.

In comparison, Williams was a finalist here two years ago when he narrowly lost to Judd Trump.

Both players have picked up silverware this season; Williams won the Champion of Champions and Ding ended a near five-year wait for another ranking title at the International Championship.

Luca Brecel v Chris Wakelin

Not a great deal to go on in terms of previous professional fixtures between these two; they’ve shared four matches in the past, but none of them were longer than a best of seven and nowhere near the importance of this one coming up.

It’s a similar story for Masters background. This will be Chris Wakelin’s maiden Masters appearance - a richly deserved achievement for one of the snooker circuit’s most improved players over the past two years or so - while Brecel has won one Masters match in four visits to the event (defeating defending champion Mark Allen in round one in 2019).

There is a big difference between their current placements on the one-year, seasonal ranking list - Wakelin is 10th while Brecel is 61st.

Wakelin broke into the world’s elite top 16 for the first time in his career on his way to the International Championship final a few months ago - his third career ranking event final.

2023 World Champion Brecel has ranking concerns come the end of the season, with £500,000 due to drop from his cumulative total. That problem has been slightly alleviated in recent weeks, though, following a run to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Open and a runner-up spot at the invitational Riyadh Season Championship before Christmas.

Could the Belgian finally be rediscovering the sensational form that took him to the world title?

Kyren Wilson v Zhang Anda

2024 was, by far, the best year of Kyren Wilson's professional snooker career. He claimed the sport's ultimate prize at the Crucible, and has been beaming with pride whilst wearing the world crown, collecting two further ranking titles at the Xi'an Grand Prix and Northern Ireland Open.

2025 has also started very well for him having won a group at the Championship League, so he comes here on a high. The reigning World Champion made his Masters debut in 2017 and has played in the event every year since. 'The Warrior' reached the final in 2018, but has not been back to the semi-finals since.

Zhang Anda made his Masters bow last year, losing 6-2 to Shaun Murphy in his opener. The former International Championship winner has had a steady, if not spectacular, season so far, with quarter-finals finishes at the Wuhan Open and UK Championship. At the latter tournament in York, he compiled a maximum 147 break.

This will be only the fourth time they have played each other in top tier competition (2-1 to Wilson) and by far their biggest encounter to date.

FIRST-ROUND DRAW

When are the first-round matches at the 2025 Masters Snooker at the Alexandra Palace?

Sunday, January 12

13:00 - Neil Robertson 6-5 John Higgins

19:00 - Shaun Murphy 6-3 Gary Wilson

Monday, January 13

13:00 - Mark Williams v Ding Junhui

19:00 - Mark Selby v Ali Carter

Tuesday, January 14

13:00 - Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins

19:00 - Mark Allen v Si Jiahui

Wednesday, January 15

13:00 - Kyren Wilson v Zhang Anda

19:00 - Luca Brecel v Chris Wakelin

All start times above are GMT

PRIZE MONEY

A record prize fund is on offer for the world's top 16 snooker players when they cue up at the 2025 Masters in London.

The Masters is one of snooker's richest competitions and it has remained with that status in recent times, even with the introduction of several new, very lucrative events on the professional tour.

John Spencer was crowned the first Masters champion in 1975 when he memorably ousted Ray Reardon in the final on a re-spotted black in the deciding frame.

Spencer's monetary reward for that historic victory at the West Centre Hotel in London was £2,000.

Fast forward 50 years later, and the winner of the 2025 Masters will collect £350,000 - the biggest first prize this tournament has ever paid out.

Following a huge increase in prize money across the board, for first time in Masters history, the total prize fund will exceed £1 million.

In 2024, champion Ronnie O'Sullivan pocketed £250,000 from an overall kitty of £725,000. The title winner in 2025 will scoop £350,000 from the £1,015,000 total prize pot.

As well as contesting one of snooker's fabled Triple Crown Series titles, the finalists at the 2025 Masters will be playing for a difference of over £200,000, with the runner-up taking home £140,000.

Merely having qualified for the tournament - which, of course, is a serious achievement in itself - players are guaranteed at least £25,000 (the amount first-round losers receive). This is up £10,000 from 12 months ago.

The prize money payouts for the 2025 Masters Snooker:

Winner: £350,000

Runner-up: £140,000

Semi-final losers: £75,000 (each)

Quarter-final losers: £40,000 (each)

First round losers: £25,000 (each)

Highest break: £15,000 (this is shared equally if the break is matched)

Total prize fund: £1,015,000

Visit National World’s Totally Snookered website (https://www.totallysnookered.com/) for daily updates from the Masters.