The draw has been made for the 2022 Masters and there are eight great matches at Alexandra Palace, London.

After moving to Milton Keynes in the height of the pandemic, the tournament will return to this iconic venue. We hope it will attract a full crowd from 9-16 January.

Although it is true that every match is worthy of being a final, there are some contests that stand out. Jack Lisowski against Ronnie O’Sullivan is one such contest.

Yan Bingtao, the defending champion, will face Mark Williams, the three-time world champion. Former champions Judd Trump will also be in action during the first round.

One contest remains: Luca Brecel vs Zhao Xintong will be competing in Sunday’s final of the UK Championship. The winner will secure their place at the Masters.

Although neither finalist from the UK was expected to attend the Masters in January 2019, both of them have taken a chance by surprising runs to the showpiece at York.

The winner of the UK title at Barbican and the PS200,000 top prize will be invited to Alexandra Palace with John Higgins.

The Masters is not the only action on the calendar. There’s the Scottish Open from 6-12 December, and the World Grand Prix from 13-19 December.