2021 Masters Snooker Draw

Stuart Bingham is the defending champion after his triumph over Ali Carter in the prestigious invitational.

The 2021 Masters snooker draw has been made during the mid-session interval of the UK Championship final on Sunday.

Widely regarded as the sport’s second biggest tournament behind only the World Snooker Championship, the 2021 Masters draw once again features the top 16 in the official world rankings list.

Stuart Bingham is the top seed following his success last January, and the reigning champion will begin his defence against debutant Thepchaiya Un-Nooh – the first Thai to feature in the tournament in more than two decades.

World champion and record seven-time Masters champion Ronnie O’Sullivan is seeded second and faces Ding Junhui in arguably the fixture of the first round.

Judd Trump and Neil Robertson, who are currently contesting the UK Championship final in Milton Keynes, will encounter David Gilbert and Yan Bingtao respectively.

Elsewhere, there are battles of the former champions between John Higgins and Mark Allen, as well as Mark Williams and Shaun Murphy.

Former runner-up Kyren Wilson takes on Jack Lisowski while three-time winner Mark Selby is in action against Stephen Maguire.

Every tournament on the 2020/21 season so far has been held behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena.

However, following the UK government’s recent decision to allow a limited number of fans to begin attending sporting events, it is hoped that the Masters will be staged at its regular home of the Alexandra Palace in London.

Previous ticket-holders were first given the opportunity to apply for a renewal, with tickets for any additional seats going out on general sale this morning.

The Masters is the second oldest professional tournament on the calendar, dating back to its inaugural event in 1975.

In 2021, the 16 players will be in competition for the Paul Hunter Trophy and a top prize worth £250,000, with the action taking place between January 10th and 17th.

UPDATE: On January 9th, it was announced that Judd Trump and Jack Lisowski tested positive for COVID-19. They have been replaced in the draw by Joe Perry and Gary Wilson.