PREVIEW: 2020 European Masters

Doesn’t a ranking feel more special when just 32 players arrive at the venue rather than twice the number?

The European Masters is a little bit of an odd tournament for me. Since the season of 2016/2017, it has a rocky history since the tournament was restored. It started off with a bang in Bucharest, Romania and finished off with a Trump vs. O’Sullivan classic. Trump won that final in the decider. Trump defended his title in Lommel, Belgium the next year. It was weird to see it in Lommel again the year after, considering the number of countries and venues it could’ve moved to from the PTC era. The BO7 format made it too similar to other European ranking events and the Home Nations, lacking any sort of identity at all.

This year, the European Masters are given a fresh lick of paint. It is now a BO9. 32 players travel to the main arena rather than 64, making the event feel more special and unique. This event has moved countries, keeping this tournament fresh, as it should do every year. Austria is an intriguing choice. Dornbirn looks very pretty in the pictures and has a gorgeous gorge called the Rappenlochschlucht. That’s all I got on that one.

The only thing that is uneasy is its association with the BetVictor European Series. It provides an extra incentive so lots of money, money, money. But the fact that it needs to be part of a series tells me that it failed to become the important stand-alone event it perhaps was supposed to be. Anyways…..

DRAW TALK

This draw is very interesting, especially since some of the big names are already out. Defending champion Jimmy Robertson fell at the first hurdle against Martin O’Donnell in the opening qualifying round. Nine of the current Top 16 are knocked out, including Jack Lisowski, Stuart Bingham, David Gilbert, Shaun Murphy and Judd Trump. Ronnie O’Sullivan did what Ronnie O’Sullivan sometimes does and decided to not participate in this event.

Therefore you have a number of players you don’t often see in the latter stages. David Lilley made it to the main venue by whitewashing Ryan Day. Welsh teenage prodigy Jackson Page came through two deciders, one against Jack Lisowski. Even Fergal O’Brien, who is currently battling to stay on tour, joined the group with two qualifying victories under his belt.

Will there be a new ranking event winner this tournament? Quite possibly, with the likes of Gary Wilson, Zhou Yuelong and Michael Holt waiting in the wings. This tournament could be more influential regarding the Race to the Crucible too. Very recently, the draw is opened up slightly more as Yan Bingtao has withdrawn from the event due to back injury.

Early days of course, but with most of the top guns out, there are vital points to take advantage of. For Ali Carter in particular, this is a fantastic opportunity to pull away from Un-Nooh and Wilson and leapfrog Stephen Maguire and Joe Perry. Not forgetting of course, reaching the Top 32 of the Order of Merit to qualify for the World Grand Prix earlier this year, but more of that in the next preview.

Exciting times!