Another couple of fairly straightforward victories last night as we look ahead to the final two round one matches today.
Judd Trump swept Barry Hawkins aside 6-1, before Mark Allen got the better of the safety exchanges to cruise beyond Si Jiahui 6-2.
Two more games to look forward to today ahead of the quarter finals starting tomorrow:
Afternoon session (1pm)
Evening session (7pm GMT)
Judd Trump says supporters must now appreciate what Ronnie O'Sullivan has done for snooker - insisting his success has been taken for granted.
O’Sullivan – the seven-time world champion – is missing from the Masters after pulling out last week on medical grounds.
The Rocket has entered the final stage of his professional career and perhaps now, more than ever, he is getting plenty of plaudits and accolades for his feats over three decades.
Trump, the 2019 world champion, said: “Because Ronnie is starting to miss more events, people realise that they might not see him that much longer.
“Maybe now is the time to appreciate what you have taken for granted for the last 20 or 30 years. When he’s missing an event, everyone notices.
“The world will always move on, there will always be other players coming through. But I think everyone realises that we’re at a point where we won’t see him many more times in some of the big events like the World Championship."
This year’s Masters prize pool has been increased by a whopping £290,000!
The player who goes home with the Paul Hunter trophy will also receive a huge cheque for £350,000 – the single biggest prize the tournament has ever paid out.
Here is a full breakdown of the pot:
Luca Brecel is feeling “confident in my own skin” after shedding more than two stone as he tries to become snooker’s first Ironman triathlete.
He said: “I have lost weight but that’s mostly down to my diet. And putting in the hours on the bike and running. It means you burn more calories.
“I’ve lost 14kg now. I’m planning on maybe losing 12kg more. Then I’ll be 75kg. I’m 87kg now.
“It has taken about 6-7 months. I have chosen to do it slowly. I could go faster but then you lose muscle. I want to do it in a healthy way.
“Being so overweight. I didn’t feel good at the table. I didn’t want to play in that way anymore.
“When I went to Majorca, some people thought I was just lying on the beach – but actually I was practising there. It was more like a training camp than anything else.
“I really needed to focus on my body first. I need to feel good when I’m playing.
“I need to feel confident in my own skin. Now I feel better.
A little look at the results so far as day three comes to a close.
And a look at who will play who in the upcoming quarter finals...
Reacting to play Mark Selby next, Mark Allen said he'll just need to recreate last year's heroics!
He told the BBC: “I just need to do the same again and I’ll be happy!
“It’s always a great game playing Mark [Selby]. We’ve had some great battles over the years and I expect some of the same.
“He played great in his first round match yesterday and I played well there. But I will probably have to play better if I want to beat him.
“He’s one of the all-time greats.”
Those two met in the quarter finals of the Masters last year in a pulsating encounter.
Allen trailed Selby 4-1 in that match but incredibly came back to clinch the match 6-5.
Even better than that, he hit a maximum on the way - the fifth 147 in Masters history.
Well, the tournament is now taking shape.
And next up for Mark Allen it's a game against his namesake, Mark Selby in the quarter finals.
What a match-up that promises to be!
He continued: "This is probably our best event of the year.
"The venue, the atmosphere. It's such a great event.
"You just have to treat it like any other match, you want to play well in any event.
"But it's sort of easier here as you know if you don't play near your best you're going to go home.
"This is the best 16 players in the world - plus Neil Robertson!"
Mark Allen felt edging the safety exchanges was what saw him overcome Si Jiahui.
He told the BBC: “Yeah I played well there, I only really missed one or two shots.
“I just felt I got the better of the safety game. He’s such a dangerous opponent you always have to make it tight. I thought I done that tonight.
“This is the events you want to play in, in the best venue we get to play in in front of the amazing fans. It’s always one you want to do well in.”
Really professional performance tonight from Mark Allen who books his spot in the quarter finals of the Masters.
A 6-2 win over Si Jiahui, capped off with an 88-19 win in the eighth frame.
The youngster from China did well himself on his Masters debut but Mark Allen was a class above.
Allen has freed himself of the trouble the reds were causing.
Currently on a break of 44 and counting, this looks an ideal opportunity to book a spot in the last eight.
Oh no! That visit didn't last long!
It's a terrible miss on a simple, simple red into the right corner pocket and he's rattled the jaws and it's bounced away. A little thump of the bottom of his cue on the floor too, he's not happy with that, Si Jiahui.
Can Allen punish him though?
That's not the end of them, it isn't third time lucky for Allen who misses a red again.
This time it's left kindly for Si Jiahui who is amongst the reds now and has a decent chance of a good visit.
Four more for Si Jiahui as Allen fails to escape a good snooker behind the yellow from his opponent.
Four more follow quickly as he puts Allen back in and an almost identical shot follows.
The reds all seem to have gathered in a way that they're blocking each other to the right corner pocket.
Si Jiahui did pot a red before having to play safe shortly after and not much has happened since.
Should the cue ball fall kindly, someone is on for a score here.
Allen first on the score board in frame eight, with a snooker which Si Jiahui can't clear at the first attempt.
Nor the second when Allen put him back in.
He's then warned he must hit a red on the next occasion or he forfeits the frame. Si Jiahui makes contact with a red and appears to have left nothing on.
Let-off for Si Jiahui. Allen leaves the cue ball amongst the pack and when the Chinese star looks to play safe up the table, he hits the blue full face and leaves the cue ball in the middle of the table.
Luckily for him, Allen can't quite get the angle of the red into the corner pocket and can't get on the board in this frame.
Looks like we'll be back to safety exchanges.
It's Mark Allen to break in what could be the final frame of the evening.
Or the start of a special comeback?
Si Jiahui pots a red before missing the pink.
Even he recognises that's a bridge too far in the snookers department and he concedes the frame.
Good from Allen and he's one frame away from the quarter finals.
A good visit of 27 from Allen and he moves 62 clear with 59 on the table.
Si Jiahui is going to come back for snookers with four reds remaining.
If he fails to do so, Allen will move one frame from victory.
Excellent red from Mark Allen and this time there are opportunities there for him to put a score together.
He badly needs to open some of these reds up though, with the black also out of play at the moment.
He does take a few of the reds but his break does come to an end at 30.
There are seven reds tightly grouped on the bottom cushion which he wasn't able to bring into play so he's forced to play the cue ball up the table.
Still nine reds to play for so this frame still very much in the balance.
Bit of a shot at nothing from Allen there as he looks to play safe up to the brown but finds a plant on the red to pot that and get a nice kiss off the brown to set that shot up too.
He's nicely on the brown and at an angle to come back down the table and take a few of these reds too.
It's becoming quite the safety exchange, with an Allen foul handing Si Jiahui four points.
They're keen on using this brown ball as they trade blows attempting to hide behind it.
