The German Masters: Tournament preview

The idea of Barry Hearn taking snooker global excites me.

A massive stride towards that aim will be taken tomorrow when the German Masters returns.

It' the first time a major ranking event has been hosted in Germany since 1997, and will be only the fourth time ever. In my opinion, it's a breath of fresh air for the game, as another country regains its affiliation with the the great game of snooker.

Just like China, I can see the German fans embracing the game we've loved in the UK for many years.




In fact, this fascination has probably already started with a number of the sport's tournaments being shown on German television.

I'm all for investing in enthusiasm, so see this is a massive step forward for the sport.

Barry has already made significant changes to way snooker runs. The invention of the PTC series and an overdue revamp of the ranking system have, in my opinion, been a great success.

But going to Germany to play another ranking event, is the icing on the cake.

It sets out the marker that snooker is moving, it is moving to Europe.

It has the potential to make this season a very special one. So, let's get the boys on the baize...


They said...

It's been unusually quiet on the press front for this tournament. Not many players have come out to talk about the event.

With the Shoot-Out format hogging all the headlines, I did manage to find Shaun Murphy's opinions on snooker going to Germany.


He said: "We've seen snooker become massive in China, and in Germany it could be just as big.

"I've played in various events and exhibitions there and we are playing to packed houses every day. We've seen great players like Ding come out of China, and Germany could be the next breeding ground for potential World Champions."

Last time out...

 The last time a raking event went to Germany, John Higgins beat John Parrott 9-4 in the final. Just a year later though, Parrott beat Mark Williams 6-4, when the tournament was hosted as a non-ranking event.

 OnCue's tip...

I backed Neil Robertson at the Masters and I'm going to do it again. In a spell when many of the top professionals are fluctuating, Neil seems to have found a consistent level, which has evaded many other maiden world champions.

He can count himself unlucky to have lost out to Mark Allen and Shaun Murphy in his last two big events, but he's becoming a staple to make the last eight in every tournament he plays in.

He's got the minerals to win in Germany.


The draw...

Neil Robertson v Anthony Hamilton or Pavel Leyk
Graeme Dott v Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon or Tomasz Skalski
Ricky Walden v Jack Lisowski or Luca Brecel
Stephen Maguire v Liu Song or Daniel Wells
Mark Selby v Nigel Bond or Stefan Kasper
Stephen Hendry v Judd Trump
Peter Ebdon v Andrew Higginson
Ding Junhui v Matthew Stevens
Mark Williams v Anthony McGill or Mario Wehrmann
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Dominic Dale
Jamie Cope v Joe Perry
Ali Carter v Stephen Lee
Shaun Murphy v Ryan Day
Mark Allen v Joe Swail or Hans Blackaert
Mark King v Marco Fu
John Higgins v Robert Milkins or Lasse Munstermann