German Masters Snooker 2020 Day Three preview and order of play: Title race intensifies at the Tempodrom
Can Wilson claim his maiden ranking title? (Photo by NIgel French/PA Images)
Twelve will become four as the battle to be crowned 2020 German Masters champion continues in Berlin on Friday.
The second ranking tournament of the new decade has already seen a number of big names bow out at The Tempodrom, including John Higgins, Ding Junhui and Mark Williams.
The opportunity has now presented itself for a potential outsider to go the distance this weekend, just as Anthony Hamilton did three years ago.
Friday’s afternoon session will feature the four remaining Second Round ties, before the winners return to compete in the Quarter-Finals in the evening.
Neil Robertson is aiming to pick up from where he left off in winning the European Masters last Sunday and now comes up against a resurgent Mitchell Mann.
Robertson leads the race for the £150,000 BetVictor European Series bonus after bagging his first ranking title of the season in Dornbirn.
The Australian thrashed Ian Burns 5-1 in his opener on Thursday and now faces a player bidding to reach his first ranking Quarter-Final after struggling both on and off the baize in recent years.
China Champion Shaun Murphy faces a tricky test in the form of Scott Donaldson – who has pulled off successive scalps of Ding Junhui in as many tournaments.
Murphy was runner-up here five years ago and has also lost out in the final of the International Championship and Shanghai Masters this season.
Donaldson, making his debut in this event, is out to reach his third consecutive ranking Quarter-Final after climbing to a career-high 24th in the world rankings.
Another in-form challenger, Gary Wilson, steps up his pursuit of a maiden ranking title with a show-down against young gun Zhao Xintong.
Wilson, a World Championship semi-finalist last year, also made it to the Last Four of the recent European Masters and will look to continue his clinical break-building in what has the makings of an epic contest.
Zhao, 22, defeated Anthony McGill 5-2 in Round One and is now eyeing his first ranking Quarter-Final appearance of the season.
Robbie Williams’ reward for his First Round scalp of John Higgins is a tie against Tyneside’s Elliot Slessor.
Williams marked a dream debut in Berlin with a deciding frame defeat of the four-time World Champion and is now looking to progress to only a second ranking Quarter-Final in eight seasons as a professional.
Slessor, who is also making his German Masters debut, knocked out Robert Milkins 5-3 on Thursday and is also targeting his second ranking Quarter-Final berth.
Judd Trump steps up his quest for further silverware in the evening session as he prepares to take on former Shoot-Out champion Michael Georgiou in the Last Eight.
Judd Trump aims to book his place in the Semis (Photo by John Walton/PA Images)
Trump was runner-up here in 2014 and is looking to add this title to his 14 other ranking triumphs, which have included four in the last 12 months.
The Bristol ace thrashed Noppon Saengkham 5-1 in Round One before defying a brace of tons from Luca Brecel to wrap up a 5-2 win in the Last 16.
Georgiou is through to his first ranking Quarter-Final in traditional format snooker after wins over Gerard Greene and Sunny Akani but now faces a huge step up against arguably the sport’s hottest talent at present.
The other confirmed Quarter-Final sees in-form Graeme Dott take on Indian Open champion Matthew Selt.
Dott, the 2006 World Champion, has continued his superb record in this competition, having finished runner-up here in 2018 in addition to a further two Semi-Final appearances.
The tenacious Scot has seen off Tian Pengfei and Mark Williams en route to the latter stages, while Selt has dropped just two frames in dispatching Jamie Clark and Nigel Bond to reach his second ranking Quarter-Final of the season.
The action gets underway from 1pm GMT, with all matches to be contested over the best of nine frames.
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German Masters 2020 Match Schedule
All times GMT (Local time one hour ahead)
Friday January 31
Last 16
1pm
Zhao Xintong v Gary Wilson
Shaun Murphy v Scott Donaldson
Robbie Williams v Elliot Slessor
Mitchell Mann v Neil Robertson
Quarter-Finals
7pm
Winner of Match 17 v Winner of Match 18
Winner of Match 19 v Winner of Match 20
Graeme Dott v Matthew Selt
Michael Georgiou v Judd Trump