James Cooper is back to preview Friday's two quarter-final ties at the Masters, as the Triple Crown event begins to hot up.
Snooker betting tips: Masters quarter-finals
1pt Xiao Guodong to beat Wu Yize at 6/5 (bet365)
Chinese revolution
It’s probably a sign of a shifting landscape in sport but debutants rarely find the occasion too much these days.
Gone are the days where a venue like Augusta required at least one look around to come to terms with the majesty of the place and not get overawed by the occasion.
Alexandra Palace is no longer the cauldron it once looked for first-timers either on the oche or green baize, while even the Grand National fences come naturally to most these days (though changes to the handicapping system and modification of the fences are big factors in that).
Wu Yize isn’t your typical nervy Masters debutant, Xiao Xintong has garnered plenty of experience at the highest level and the pair looked right at home when recording 6-2 wins over Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby respectively on the opening day.
It’s fair to say that both got more than a little helping hand from their respective opponents, Murphy surprisingly timid in his shot choice throughout and never able to get a foothold in the match, while Selby was 4-0 down before missing a blue (reminiscent of the late Willie Thorne’s sitter in the UK Championship all those years ago) when closing in on 4-3.
Yize didn’t have to operate anywhere near his best to book his place in the last eight, while Guodong played to a higher level, albeit making a mess on the positional front twice before ultimately taking the eighth and final frame of the match.
The 2025/26 season has been a productive one for both Yize and Guodong, hence their debuts in the event and it’s been strikingly similar on the numbers front with the latter doubling his ranking title tally in Wuhan, while the former also made his breakthrough in his homeland, defeating Judd Trump, Barry Hawkins, Zhao Xintong and John Higgins along the way in the International Championship.
Their match win percentage stand at 69.6% (Guodong) and 67.9% (Yize) with Yize edging the positive expected wins on account of a slightly harder schedule.
The centuries per frame ratio is also very similar too (8.43 Guodong and 8.14 Yize) so there shouldn’t be much between them in the scoring department either despite a perception that Yize is the more proficient break builder.
The hype around Yize looks fully justified and the sky is the limit in terms of his career.
That cannot be said about GUODONG but we are betting on the here and now rather than what will happen further down the line and I can certainly make a case for Guodong being the very slight favourite here rather than the general 8/11 versus 6/5.
All three previous matches have been close, but Guodong was on the right side of it both times in 2025 and his performance against Mark Selby was the best that I’ve seen so far in the event.
Classy pair to serve up a cracker
Pre-tournament, Kyren Wilson’s cue problems and a fairly tame end to 2025 (where his normally rock-solid temperament let him down in York) cast a cloud over his quest for a first Masters title.
Si Jiahui was a favourable first-round draw and Wilson took advantage, dominating proceedings. A classy break in frame three was Jiahui’s only real contribution of note in the match.
Wilson’s demeanour when ahead looked much more positive but in Neil Robertson, a different examination is envisaged.
Robertson against O’Sullivan looked to be the pick of the first-round ties and while the latter’s replacement Chris Wakelin arrived in good order, Robertson quickly gained a stranglehold after the mid-session interval to complete the clean sweep of 6-2 scores, racking up three centuries in the process.
This season’s form points to a Robertson victory, perhaps a shade more than the general 8/11 implies but it should go without saying that Wilson’s A-game is a match for anyone and having regained the winning thread, Wilson may well kick on now.
Sitting this one out from a betting perspective therefore looks wise.
Posted at 16:00 GMT on 15/01/26
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