Defending champion Murphy to face Wu at Masters

Defending champion Shaun Murphy will play Wu Yize in the first round of the 2026 Masters at Alexandra Palace.

Mark Selby's victory in Sunday's UK Championship final promoted him to eighth seed for the tournament, meaning he will play Xiao Guodong.

Selby's triumph meant Ronnie O'Sullivan dropped out of the seeded positions, handing him a mouth-watering meeting with Neil Robertson.

World number one Judd Trump will face Ding Junhui in a repeat of this week's UK Championship quarter-final, which the Englishman won 6-2.

The tournament, in which only the top 16 in the world rankings compete, will run from 11-18 January.

Two-time Masters winner Robertson taking on eight-time champion O'Sullivan is arguably the standout tie of the round.

However, the match between left-handers Mark Williams and Mark Allen, plus John Higgins' tie against Barry Hawkins, also promise to be intriguing contests.

Shaun Murphy v Wu Yize

Mark Selby v Xiao Guodong

Neil Robertson v Ronnie O'Sullivan

Kyren Wilson v Si Jiahui

Judd Trump v Ding Junhui

Mark Williams v Mark Allen

John Higgins v Barry Hawkins

Zhao Xintong v Gary Wilson