2024 Masters - Jan 7th to Jan 14th - BBC/Eurosport

Lisowski stomping all over Brecel. Luca looking like he will struggle to repeat the form of last year or two and put up much defence of his World Title.

Things can change in Sheffield of course.

Lisowski needed a handy win for his own season.

Doubt Luca is the man to beat the Crucible curse.

Lot of bookies happy tonight though

Gowan Ding ya boy ya - max break now 4-3 down massive turn around. I nearly switched off a few frames ago. Thought he might miss the last yellow very awkward.

Yeah that happens hard to switch back to normal play. Just heard there Ding on for a massive bonus if he gets a max in the world championship now.

The standard of Ronnie's play has been ridiculously good. I thought he was supposed to feel edgy at this tournament with the vocal support he gets?

This is more like 'paid practice mate'.

Fair play to Ding for managing to make a game of it.

15 second shot time!

Obviously that 147 bonus if get two is not enough for Ronnie (BBC studio) mentioning Ding's 147 full of praise for it etc.

Hazel says "you have 15"

Ronnie - "I am on strike from it, it should be 25"

Yeah that is what I was thinking about the Eurosport thing as well made no sense. I think Ronnie was just on the wind up on that, to be honest. Saying he watched 'one frame'. But he genuinely seemed more upset that he hurt his foot, and couldn't go running. Has to cycle instead.

The interview in the arena nearly went odd when he said 'I aint cueing properly'. You could sense the crowd murmuring sort of quiet. Rob Walker just about saved it by saying 'But the crowd don't agree'!

Kyren Wilson looking more than solid this afternoon. Sharp as a tack.

Trump is not getting a look in, and when he occasionally does, he's in poor form.

Could be a short match unless Trump gets his act together sharpish.

Some of the form players in 2023 struggling a bit into early 2024.

One thing you can't say is that snooker is a just a boring procession these days.

Probably does leave the door open for Ronnie this week if his head is in it, with Willo out and Trump looking a bit dicey.

I was thinking even in general the argument used to be there are no 'characters' in the game. There seems to be plenty of fellas with opinions off the table these days Varfaei, Williams, Allen etc. Or fellas that are late bloomers like Milkins/Bingham. There seems to be way more depth in standard of player now. I know that the masters is top 16. But even if the fella who sneaks in 16th is always capable of a run in it if he clicks. I wouldn't have said that years ago.

Yeah, not a particular fan of Wilson. There's nothing wrong with the chap, but he just annoys the way he goes on bringing his kids and domestic life into most conversations. Find it all boring.

Each to their own

Oh man I feel so bad for Wilson the way the that final frame went for him. He'd virtually had it won, did all the hard work.

Very poor stuff from Robertson. Ignoring his biggest break <30, his safety has been very weak also

Higgins is just missing a few clutch shots now, that is keeping him back from winning the titles.

Misses green with the rest to go 2-0 up and Allen wins with the respotted black to bring it to 1-1

Another long, tight match. 5-5

I think it must have, I remember he said he was thinking of retirement after that.

There was an interview pre- match yesterday (can't remember who with) but Hazel Irvine pointed out in studio that Higgins said he no longer 'believes' he 'hopes'. I thought that was really odd. Hendry said if a player does not believe he is going to win he has no chance.

Hawkins did not go in for the kill when he had the chance, I think the pressure got to Hawkins. 4-3 Ronnie when it should be 5-2 Hawkins. Missed same pink in the corner pocket twice.

Yep. And Ronnie went in for the kill despite struggling

They all seem to have an edginess for whatever reasons, even the seasoned lads. But you are right overall it has not been great. Bar Ronnie's first match v Ding. There was no game where two players played top tier stuff.

The standard is brutal as usual, O'Sullivan winning at a canter again, on the handy side of the draw again too.

Your Hawkins, Lisowskis, Carter's, Wilson's etc, would be also rans in the 90s, early 00s. It's a sad state of affairs, when O'Sullivan at his age can still canter to wins, regardless of his talent.

Hendry must be fumming, no one to really stand in his way for an 8th world title, barring maybe Selby depending on his form. Trump no good under pressure either. Can knock centuries in for fun, but they dry up fairly quick on him at times when it matters.

Really disappointed the year Trump fell over the line to get the the world final after he beat Williams in the semi. Williams came back and should of finished him off, Trump's confidence went right out the window at the end of that game, and was brutal in the final. Imagine had we got a Williams O'Sullivan final that year.

Imagine a final where both Williams and O'Sullivan click and play to their best, it's one of the few match ups O'Sullivan would be in trouble. Williams a better single ball potter, and hard to stop him getting in first when he's pulling off those mercurial impossible pots.

Only problem for him since he regained form, is his break building often breaks down around the 60/70 points mark and gets frames stolen on him, something that didn't happen to a younger Williams, who was like a robot.

I remember the final Williams won against Higgins, and at the end, Higgins tried to mount a come back. The pressure was off him as he was behind and wasn't missing a ball. The problem was he couldn't really get too close as Williams kept pulling off miraculous pots to get in first every time.

I've never really seen a player pull off the amount of incredible and impossible shots as Williams. O'Sullivan more consistent for sure, but I don't actually think he'd have the ability to pull off some of the stuff Williams can do at times.

If Williams had a better work ethic and practised properly his whole career, it's scary what he could of achieved. As much as he's won, I can't always help but feel disappointed that he's left so much behind him, what could of been. Was a potting machine.

We always talk about O'Sullivan not being focused and head not in it at times, Williams was actually far worse. Gave up practising in 05 for about 13 years. That's the real shame, not O'Sullivan who did always practise, regardless of what he said. For me, Williams is the greatest at his peak, does things I've never seen anyone else capable of doing, bar Alex Higgins in patches!

Despite Williams resurgence and world title win, he still doesn't kill himself practising. He won a world title with a half effort tbh. The site rite stuff was more an exercise in regaining confidence. Could still be performing better generally if his heart was in it, which it still really isn't. He's winging it, albeit with more effort than he once put in.

I remember watching a quarter final against Ding I think, circa 2013, and he was a disgrace. Totally disinterested, got hammered, made no effort to play safe on anything, and went for everything.... and didn't care less. Was thinking, if this is what Williams has become, why take the spot of someone who wants to try.

At least we got him half back to an extent

Just on Williams. In 00s he won two of the triple crown events and racked up a heap of other titles. From what I've read, even then his motivation went out the window for a year or two.

When the wife got onto him after a year or two of living it up and he refocused and put serious effort in, won every televised tournament in the 03 season, including the triple crown. After that the wife said there was nothing she could do to motivate him and the kids came then, so that was that.

Most of what he's won has been over 3/4 seasons where he genuinely applied himself, and is like 4th or 5th as the most successful player in terms of titles and majors won. That's actually staggering, when he applied himself, he demolished everything in front of him, to the point in 03, he was winning nearly everything he entered.

People do forget just how good and dominant he was at his peak, he was actually hated back then as he was like a robot and didn't miss, but looked boring, serious and solemn, despite actually being extremely laid back.

I've never seen a player play to the level he did for a whole season in 03, not even O'Sullivan or Hendry at their very best. This guy was so good at his peak, he was half a level ahead of them at their best imo!