Mark Allen is among the favourites for the title as the 2024 Shanghai Masters commences on Monday in China.
The Northern Irishman won’t begin his tilt for glory at the prestigious invitational until Wednesday when he takes on either Gary Wilson or Pang Junxu in the last 16.
The match will mark the first time Allen gets announced into an arena as the world number one, having claimed top spot in the rankings at the end of last season.
Allen is only the 12th world number one in snooker history and represents the first new name at the summit of the standings since Ding Junhui achieved the feat a decade ago.
“It’s exciting, it’s my first time doing it,” Mark Allen told the World Snooker Tour on the eve of the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
“I hope I hit the ground running and hopefully give myself a chance come Sunday to win a tournament.”
“As of now, I would say no [it doesn’t feel different being world number one]. I just want to go out there and play snooker.
“But when I go out there on Wednesday, it might feel different being introduced as world number one.
“I’ve dealt with the pressure of all sorts right throughout my career, so I don’t think I’ll be too bad at handling this one. It’s a good problem to have.
“I’ve always got extra motivation from myself anyway – I want to do well, and I want to do well every year.
“But yeah, it’s nice to have that target on my back. Normally, you’re the one sort of shooting for someone, but it is what it is.
“I have to deal with it. I could come here and lose in the first round. It’s the best players in the world, so you need to perform.
“Whether I’m number one or number 16, everyone is going to feel like they’ve got a chance here in this tournament.”
The 2024 Shanghai Masters features the top 16 from the official two-year rankings list in addition to eight other competitors from China.
It’s China’s longest-running tournament, dating back to 2007 when the competition was originally staged as a ranking event.
A September slot on the calendar had been common for the Shanghai Masters, but for the first time this year the event has been moved forward to much earlier in the season.
“I’ll be honest, I’d always like a tournament or two before a big event like this. But it is what it is, we’re all in the same boat,” Allen said.
“None of us have had a tournament since the World Championship, so we’re all probably eager to get at it but a little bit apprehensive as well.”
“You don’t really know where your game is at until you actually play a match. You just have to go out there and play well like in any other tournament.
“It’s weird being here in July – there’s a different feeling in the air here in Shanghai. But it’s one of my favourite tournaments of the year.
“It’s my favourite by far of all the China events, so I’m looking forward to hopefully doing well.
“This is one of the ones that you want to win, it’s the top 16 in the world. These are the events you want to win in.
“It’s disappointing that I haven’t been able to cross that line so far, but I get another go here this week. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan is the defending Shanghai Masters champion having emerged with the silverware the last four times the event has been staged.
World champion Kyren Wilson, Judd Trump, and Ding Junhui are among the other marquee names in the field.
2024 Shanghai Masters draw
All times in UTC+1
Round 1 (bo11)
Zhang Anda vs Zhou Jinhao
(July 15: 2:30am)
Ali Carter vs Qiu Lei
(July 15: 2:30am)
Tom Ford vs Si Jiahui
(July 15: 7am)
Mark Williams vs Wang Xinbo
(July 15: 7am)
Gary Wilson vs Pang Junxu
(July 16: 2:30am)
Jak Jones vs Cao Jin
(July 16: 2:30am)
John Higgins vs Lyu Haotian
(July 15: 12:30pm)
Barry Hawkins vs Zhou Yuelong
(July 15: 12:30pm)
Round 2 (bo11)
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Zhang/Zhou
(July 16: 7am)
Ding Junhui vs Carter/Qiu
(July 16: 12:30pm)
Luca Brecel vs Ford/Si
(July 16: 7am)
Judd Trump vs Williams/Wang
(July 16: 12:30pm)
Mark Allen vs G. Wilson/Pang
(July 17: 7am)
Mark Selby vs Jones/Cao
(July 17: 7am)
Shaun Murphy vs Higgins/Lyu
(July 17: 12:30pm)
Kyren Wilson vs Hawkins/Zhou
(July 17: 12:30pm)
Quarter-Finals (bo11)
TBC vs TBC
(July 18: 12:30pm)
TBC vs TBC
(July 18: 12:30pm)
TBC vs TBC
(July 18: 7am)
TBC vs TBC
(July 18: 7am)
Semi-Finals (bo19)
TBC vs TBC
(July 20: 7am and 12:30pm)
TBC vs TBC
(July 19: 7am and 12:30pm)
Final (bo21)
TBC vs TBC
(July 21: 7am and 12:30pm)
Featured photo credit: WST
