Welsh Open (2011) is scheduled to hold from 14-20 February at The Newport Centre, Newport. BBC Two Wales, British Eurosport, British Eurosport 2 and Eurosport HD and BBC Website shall cover the tournament.

Here is the first round (best of 7 frames) draw and match:

• John Higgins (1) v Jack Lisowski (62)
• Ricky Walden (15) v Dave Harold (50)
• Ronnie O’Sullivan (9) v To be decided
• Shaun Murphy (5) v To be decided
• Allister Carter (7) v Barry Hawkins (27)
• Peter Ebdon (12) v Dominic Dale (33)
• Mark Allen (11) v Rod Lawler (55)
• Ding Junhui (4) v Marcus Campbell (31)
• Mark J Williams (3) v Marco Fu (18)
• Jamie Cope (13) v Rory McLeod (38)
• Stephen Hendry (14) v Joe Perry (32)
• Stephen Maguire (8) v Gerard Greene (29)
• Mark Selby (6) v Stuart Bingham (17)
• Mark King (16) v Michael Holt (42)
• Graeme Dott (10) v Jamie Burnett (40)
• Neil Robertson (2) v Nigel Bond (37)

Williams led the Leicester man 7-4 in the evening session but Selby rallied strongly to level at 7-7. A tense 15th frame swung back and forth in front of the sell-out crowd in the Tempodrom, but crucially Williams pinched it and a break of 82 saw the world number two claim the title and the €50,000 winner’s cheque.

It was a sweet moment for the Welshman and few could argue he deserved it after two centuries in the afternoon session of the final took his tournament tally to four as he thrilled the audiences with his fantastic long potting. The win also eliminated any doubts of his ability to get over the line having succumbed to John Higgins’ comeback after leading him 9-5 at the UK Championship at Telford in December.

“I’m really happy with that win, it was a nerve-wracking experience, both in front of that unbelievable crowd and also after the UK Championships,” said Williams. “I was in my seat when Mark was about to level the match thinking ‘Am I going to let another one slip?’ but then I realised that there was little I could do about it and that relaxed me. In truth, he could have moved 8-7 up himself but the break in the last frame was brilliant as I realised in Telford that you are not safe with just 60-odd breaks against the like of John and Mark.”

Selby moved to number four in the world through reaching his fourth ranking event final and was quick to praise his Welsh opponent afterwards.

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Ding Junhui secured his first Masters title with a 10-4 victory over Marco Fu in a historic all-Asian final.

China’s Ding started brilliantly with breaks of 120 and 74 and extended his lead to 6-2, with Fu’s best break 80.

Hong Kong’s Fu sparkled in the evening to pull back two frames but then lost an agonising 11th, when Ding laid a miraculous snooker, to trail 7-4.

Fu was left shell-shocked as Ding rattled in 94, 83 and 85 to win and make up for his 2007 runner-up spot.

It was revenge for the Chinese 23-year-old after losing 10-9 to Fu in the first round at the 2008 world championships and more recently at last November’s Asian Games in Guangzhou.

The last time Ding was in a Masters final was an emotional 10-3 demolition by Ronnie O’Sullivan four years ago and he did his best to banish those memories by flying out of the blocks in front of a noisy Wembley crowd on Sunday.

There were no sign of nerves, considering the reported 100 million people watching in China, with the man who made his Masters debut in 2004 with a wildcard entry as a teenager storming ahead thanks to knocks of 120 and 74 to open up a two-frame advantage.

But Fu, who bounced back from trailing 4-1 to beat Mark Allen in the semi-finals, clawed his way back with an 80 and had chances in an enthralling fourth frame, before losing his way on the brown as a relieved Ding secured a 3-1 lead.

Sloppy errors started to creep their way into the game and it was Ding who edged ahead 4-1, while Fu hung on with a nerveless run of 82 with the aid of a fluked blue.

The high standard of potting in the opening four frames slipped away and with Fu wasting more chances to get back into the encounter, Ding surged ahead to 6-2 to leave himself going into the evening session needing four frames for victory.

But all those expecting this to be a routine triumph for the player hunting his fifth major title were shaken to the core after the interval as Fu, a Masters semi-finalist in 2008, roared back to reduce the deficit by two frames with a top knock of 69.

Fu will be kicking himself though after throwing away the 11th frame to waste a glorious opportunity to get within one at 6-5. Instead it was 7-4.

The 33-year-old opened up with a 39, only to see his opponent hit back, but then had Ding in all sorts of trouble with a snooker behind the yellow.

Five attempts later, Fu led by two points and had the frame in his grasp and amazingly soon found himself snookered behind the pink after a sensational safety shot from Ding.
The cueball flew in and with Fu squirming in his chair, Ding stayed calm to steal it.

Fu looked stunned and he had to stay rooted in his throne as Ding knocked in a 94, 83 and 85 to claim his third successive frame and secure his Masters crown to become only the third overseas player to do so.

Having been the youngest player to perform at this tournament in 2004, Ding will revel in being Masters champion, but his conquered adversary can also reflect proudly on a stunning effort this week as China’s passionate fans back home cheered on their two superstars.

[via BBC Snooker]

Watch Live The Masters (2011) Final Match between Marco Fu vs Ding Junhui online live tv streaming for free.