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Jack Lisowski
Jack Lisowski

Masters snooker quarter-finals preview and best bets: Ronnie O'Sullivan set for tough test in Barry Hawkins clash

By Richard Mann
Snooker
Thu January 11, 2024 · 11M ago

Two of snooker's most attacking players meet in the Masters later, and Richard Mann is expecting fireworks.

Snooker betting tips: The Masters quarter-finals

2pts Three Or More Centuries in Shaun Murphy/Jack Lisowski match at 11/4 (General)

2pts Over 9.5 Frames in Ronnie O'Sullivan/Barry Hawkins match at 5/4 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Shaun Murphy v Jack Lisowski

  • Quarter-Finals
  • Thursday, 1900
  • BBC, Eurosport

In Thursday’s evening session, 2015 Masters champion Shaun Murphy takes on Jack Lisowski in a quarter-final that promises to be a good watch.

Neither of these players likes to get bogged down, much preferring an open, attacking game, and Murphy referenced that point after his impressive 6-2 win over Zhang Anda in the first round.

Murphy also revealed that he has worked really hard on the practice table over Christmas, and five breaks of fifty-plus on Sunday offered encouraging signs that he might reap the fruits of his labour this week.

Murphy’s form looked to be coming to the boil before the festive break, and he and Lisowski put on a real show when they met at the British Open earlier in the season, the latter just prevailing 4-3 in a match featuring four century breaks.

Jack Lisowski

When Lisowski hammered Murphy 6-1 at the 2022 UK Championship, he made four centuries, while Murphy’s one frame was won with a break of 111.

Lisowski again scored heavily when easing past Luca Brecel here on Sunday, breaks of 100, 96, 70, 69, 68 and 63 doing the damage, and given his match with Murphy is expected to be played in a similar manner, with these two ultra-attacking players much preferring an arm wrestle to a game of chess, more big breaks are expected.

THREE OR MORE CENTURIES is not out of the question in this best-of-11 frames match, so I’m more than happy to take the 11/4 on offer.

Ronnie O'Sullivan v Barry Hawkins

  • Quarter-Finals
  • Thursday, 1300
  • BBC, Eurosport

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Barry Hawkins have played out some wonderful matches over the years, and another close encounter could be on the cards when the pair meet in the quarter-finals of the Masters on Thursday.

O’Sullivan has beaten Hawkins in two memorable World Championship finals, and since then some fierce battles between the pair have taken place.

O’Sullivan has inflicted two heavy defeats on Hawkins at the World Grand Prix in the last few years, but their meeting at the 2021 Tour Championship went the distance as O’Sullivan prevailed 10-9, that coming only a month after the Rocket won 6-4 when they met at the Players Championship.

It was 6-4 to O’Sullivan at the 2019 Players Championship, and 11-9 in his favour in the final of the Shanghai Masters in 2018.

Wins for Hawkins over O’Sullivan have been harder to come by – and he’s by no means alone with that – but his 13-12 victory in another close battle at the 2016 World Championship was a terrific result.

The upshot of all this is that matches between the pair have often been very good ones, hard-fought with no quarter given.

With Hawkins in the midst of a fine campaign that has already seen him lift the European Masters title, more of the same is expected at Alexandra Palace.

A good win over Neil Robertson in the first round confirmed Hawkins remains in good touch, and the 2022 runner-up is expected to put it up to O’Sullivan who will rightly start as hot favourite, but was taken to deciding frames by Robert Milkins and Zhou Yuelong in the early rounds of the UK Championship, before going on to lift the trophy.

He might have another close fight on his hands against the high-class and in-form Hawkins, an old hand who won't be overawed by the occasion, so backing OVER 9.5 FRAMES in the match at 5/4 looks the way to go.

Posted at 1055 GMT on 10/01/24

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