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The Masters is regarded as one of the most prestigious invitational events on the snooker calendar and boasts an impressive prize fund of £500,000.

With 16 of the world's top players set to descend on Alexandra Palace in January, competition will be fierce with defending champion Neil Robertson and the legendary John Higgins set to vie with young Englishman  Trump for glory.

Australia's Robertson has been handed a tough first round draw though, as he is set to face Chinese ace Ding Junhui, who recently registered a confidence boosting Scottish Open final win over Anthony McGill at the Ravenscraig Sports Facility.

Ding told reporters after his 4-2 win over Anthony McGill, “I've built a lot of confidence here and if I can keep my form going I can win more titles this season."

Trump meanwhile, whose disappointing showing and defeat to Mark Joyce in York saw his short-lived stint as World No. 1 come to an end, will no doubt be looking to make a positive impression when he arrives in north London.

The 23-year-old has drawn compatriot Barry Hawkins in the first round and Hawkins must surely be fearful of a backlash as the Juddernaut looks to reclaim his world number one ranking from Mark Selby.

John Higgins faces Ali Carter in his first round encounter hoping to reclaim the form that saw him clinch the Shanghai Masters. Higgins memorably defeated Judd Trump in the decider in China after staging a remarkable comeback from 7-2 down to win 10-9 in a final that will go down in the snooker history books as a classic.

Other enticing encounters include last year's runner-up Shaun Murphy's encounter with Ricky Walden, and Mark Selby's clash with 2011 Australian Goldfields Open champion Stuart Bingham.

2013 Betfair Masters draw

1. Neil Robertson v Ding Junhui

2. Mark Allen v Mark Davis

3. Shaun Murphy v Ricky Walden

4. John Higgins v Ali Carter

5. Mark Selby v Stuart Bingham

6. Mark Williams v Matthew Stevens

7. Stephen Maguire v Graeme Dott

8. Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins

Brendan O'Neill writes for Livestreamingsport.com, an award winning sports site which provides live streaming fans with previews, team news, updates and streaming schedules for a vast array of sports including snooker, football, tennis and more.