This first-round match at The Masters is between Zhao Xintong and Gary Wilson. The line is not particularly extreme, but over this distance and in terms of playing styles there is a clear advantage.
Zhao Xintong
Zhao Xintong no longer looks as dominant as he did during his championship run, but he remains extremely dangerous in longer formats. At the start of 2026 he played six matches in the Championship League Snooker, winning three and losing three. The results are average, but the important point is different: he is maintaining a steady rhythm, is not collapsing over stretches of frames and knows how to manage his effort. Towards the end of 2025 he was losing more often, but without major dips in his level of play – it was more a matter of missed chances. In their January head-to-head meeting he has already beaten Wilson, albeit in a shorter format.
Gary Wilson
Gary Wilson is a typical short-distance player. He has played a lot in the Championship League Snooker, which keeps him in good rhythm, but the Masters format exposes his key problem – errors under pressure. In best-of-11-frame matches the Englishman often loses concentration, takes unnecessary risks and regularly hands the initiative back after good starts. His aggression is effective while everything goes perfectly, but at a tournament like this the cost of a mistake is very high.
Zhao Xintong vs Gary Wilson Prediction
The difference in format is the key factor here. Over a longer distance Zhao is simply more reliable: he can compile breaks of 60–70 points, controls the tempo and rarely drops several frames in a row. Wilson will have to take risks constantly, and that almost always leads to dips over this kind of match length.
