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| Dates: January 10-17 Venue of events: Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes |
| Coverage: Watch it live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app. Featured on BBC Two and online. |
Scotsman John Higgins will face Chinese rookie Yan Bingtao in the Masters final on Sunday.
Higgins defeated David Gilbert 6-4, while Yan rallied to stun defending champion Stuart Bingham 6-5.
Yan, 20, may now become the youngest player to lift the trophy since Ronnie O’Sullivan, who won it at age 19 in 1995 and Higgins is aiming for a third title.
The best of 19 final starts at 13:00 GMT, with the winner collecting the trophy and £ 250,000 in prize money.
It will be the first Masters final without the attendance of spectators and will be played behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
‘Yan thinks he can win’
Higgins, with vast experience, will start the final as a big favorite having won this event in 1999 and 2006, as well as being defeated in the masterpiece in 1995 and 2005.
If successful, Higgins, 45, will become the oldest player to win the Masters, surpassing Bingham, who was 43, with his success last year.
The world number six was in sublime scoring form when he knocked out world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the previous round and hit 106, 66, 107 and 55 to lead Gilbert 4-2.
The Englishman threw one back and Higgins missed a pink frame-ball, allowing his opponent to level, but the Scotsman broke 56 before claiming a nervous 10th frame to seal the victory.
Higgins said: “Personally, I think the semifinals are the worst game, you are close to being in a masterpiece and David did not play very well.
“I’m delighted to pass. I knew it was going to be a tough game just to get to the final and improve.”
“Yan is a brilliant player and has an old head on young shoulders, but we all know it. He is starting to get ahead and thinks he can win compared to previous years.”
Analysis – A final between ‘experience and youth’
Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry on BBC Two: “It was a tough match for John, but it showed what a fighter he is and why he has won so many tournaments and done so much in the game. Even though he wasn’t in the break flow, he got the job done and was too strong for David. .
“If you think about what he’s done in the game, what a good player he is and with only the 16 best players in the world in this tournament, it’s a mystery why he hasn’t won more.”
Six-time world champion Steve Davis: “Try to pick a winner out of those two, experience against youngsters and every chance Yan can beat John, he will have to play well to beat him. He’s very well set up.
“He has a relatively poor record at the Masters and can correct it if he wins. A lot of people thought John was out of his prime and maybe they thought he would never win a Major again, so he’s proving them wrong.”
‘Today I played very well’
Earlier on Saturday, Yan compiled 94 to start and should have taken control, but Bingham stole two frames and made 87 for a 3-1 lead.
He extended it to 4-2, but Yan took three in a row to lead 5-4, staying alongside 65 in the deciding frame.
He has a solid but unspectacular style of play with a confident and unflappable presence around the table.
Yan has shown incredible resolve, winning all three of his games in a decider in the final frame, including a surprising victory over world number two Neil Robertson in the first round and beating Stephen Maguire in the quarter-finals.
The world number 11 fell behind once again against Bingham, but he apparently improves when behind and under pressure, doing significant damage by leaving his opponent without a bounce for more than an hour.
Yan said: “Today I played very well and made so many excellent long pots. I controlled the table and cueball and the safety was good too.
When asked if he could win it, he replied, “Maybe. This is a great tournament with only the top 16 players.”
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