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Neil Robertson v John Higgins live stream | Masters 2025 First Round Preview

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Neil Robertson completes sensational comeback to stun John Higgins in Masters opener

Higgins and Robertson go head-to-head (Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images)

Former Masters champions Neil Robertson and John Higgins collide in the opening match of the 2025 tournament on Sunday.

Both players have lifted the Paul Hunter Trophy on two occasions and are bidding to restore their former glories at Alexandra Palace.

This contest has come to fruition in the past 48 hours following the withdrawal of defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan due to medical reasons.

As world number 17, Robertson takes The Rocket’s place in the draw and makes his 19th Masters appearance, having first featured as a wildcard back in 2004.

The Australian triumphed here in 2012 and 2022, while also finishing runner-up in 2013 and 2015, but has suffered First Round exits in four of his last five appearances.

Robertson returned to the winner’s circle at the English Open last September and was a quarter-finalist at the Northern Ireland Open, though he lost out to eventual champion Judd Trump in the Last 32 of the UK Championship after winning two matches to qualify.

Higgins, meanwhile, has remarkably been an ever-present at The Masters since 1995 – the longest consecutive run of any player.

The 49-year-old finished runner-up on his debut 30 years ago before going on to claim glory in 1999 and 2006, though he is yet to taste success at Ally Pally.

Higgins was runner-up behind closed doors in Milton Keynes in 2021 and has suffered successive First Round exits in his last two appearances.

The Scot was runner-up in this season’s British Open and reached the quarter-finals of the International Championship, making a swift return to the world’s top 16 after a brief absence.

This will be the 20th competitive fixture between Robertson and Higgins, with the Aussie holding the narrow upper-hand with 10 victories to his name.

Their most recent meeting came in the final of the 2022 Tour Championship, which Robertson narrowly won 10-9, and he also prevailed 9-8 in the final of the 2021 English Open.

The match gets under way from 1pm GMT and will be contested over the best of 11 frames, with either Shaun Murphy or Gary Wilson awaiting the winner in the quarter-finals.

How to watch Neil Robertson v John Higgins live stream

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1) Go to Bet365.com via this special link

2) Register an account, place a £10 first bet and get £50 in Free Bets* (18+ only, T&Cs apply)

3) Once registered, go to the sports homepage and select ‘Snooker’ from the left-hand menu

4) Select the play icon next to the match in progress and the stream window will appear

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Matches are also available to watch live at Sky Bet. To watch, simply:

1) Go to Sky Bet via this special link

2) Register an account (18+)

3) Get £40 in Free Bets when you place a first bet of 5p or more

4) Go to the Snooker menu and select ‘Watch Live’ next to the match in progress

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