2023 German Masters

2023 BetVictor German Masters
Tournament information
Dates1–5 February 2023 (2023-02-01 – 2023-02-05)
VenueTempodrom
CityBerlin
CountryGermany
OrganisationWorld Snooker Tour
FormatRanking event
Total prize fund£427,000
Winner's share£80,000
Highest break Robert Milkins (ENG) (147)
Final
Champion Ali Carter (ENG)
Runner-up Tom Ford (ENG)
Score10–3
← 2022
2024 →

The 2023 German Masters (officially the 2023 BetVictor German Masters) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 1 to 5 February 2023 at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany.[1] Organised by the World Snooker Tour and sponsored by sports betting company BetVictor, the tournament was the tenth ranking event of the 2022–23 snooker season and the seventh of the eight events in the European Series. The 17th edition of the German Masters, first held in 1995 as the German Open, the tournament was broadcast by Eurosport in Europe and by multiple other broadcasters internationally.[2] The winner received £80,000 from a total prize fund of £427,000.[3]

The reigning world champion and world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by Ross Muir.[4] Many other highly ranked players—including Mark Allen, Stuart Bingham, Ryan Day, Ding Junhui, Barry Hawkins, John Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby, Judd Trump, and Mark Williams—lost in the qualifying rounds, which were held from 21 to 26 November 2022 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, England.[1][5] In December 2022 and January 2023, amid a match-fixing investigation, the sport's governing body suspended four players who had qualified: Li Hang, Zhao Jianbo, and the previous year's finalists Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong.[6] Their opponents received walkovers to the next round.[7][8] Only four players ranked inside the world's top 16—Luca Brecel, Jack Lisowski, Neil Robertson, and Kyren Wilson—featured at the main stage in Berlin.[9]

Zhao Xintong won the 2022 event, defeating Yan 9–0 in the final,[10] but was unable to defend the title due to his suspension.[9] Jimmy White defeated Peng Yisong 5–1 in the last 32, becoming the first player over 60 to reach the last 16 of a ranking event since Eddie Charlton at the 1992 British Open.[11] Ali Carter defeated Tom Ford 10–3 in the final to win the tournament for a second time, following his previous win in 2013. It was Carter's fifth ranking title and his first ranking win since the 2016 World Open. He moved up eight places to 15th in the world rankings after the event.[12][13]

Robert Milkins made the third maximum break of his career, the highest of the tournament, in his quarter-final match against Chris Wakelin. Milkins also made a 146 break in his last-32 match against Daniel Wells.[14]

  1. ^ a b "BetVictor German Masters 2023". World Snooker. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  2. ^ "How to watch 2023 German Masters, Draw, Schedule, Live Stream and TV coverage as Jimmy White in action at Tempodrom". Eurosport. 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  3. ^ "Prize Money World Rankings Schedule 2022/2023 Season" (PDF). World Snooker. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  4. ^ Bisset, Roddy (2022-11-21). "O'Sullivan Withdraws From BetVictor German Masters". World Snooker. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  5. ^ "Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui, John Higgins and Barry Hawkins lose German Masters snooker qualifiers as shocks continue". Eurosport UK. 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  6. ^ "UK Championship winner Zhao latest to be suspended". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  7. ^ "Updated German And Shoot Out Draws". World Snooker. 2023-01-18. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  8. ^ "BetVictor German Masters 2023 Draw" (PDF). 2023-01-18.
  9. ^ a b "German Masters 2023 - Latest scores, results, schedule, order of play as Neil Robertson heads reduced field". Eurosport. 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  10. ^ "Zhao wins in Berlin with final whitewash". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  11. ^ "White reaches last 16 of German Masters". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  12. ^ Bisset, Roddy (2023-02-05). "Carter Victory Ends Title Drought". World Snooker. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  13. ^ "Whitney Houston inspired me to title, says Carter". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  14. ^ "Milkins Makes Berlin Maximum". World Snooker. 2023-02-03. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-03.