Snooker today: What time the Masters semi-final is on and who's playing
John Higgins is playing in the today's first semi-final
The Masters 2026 continues today, with two snooker heavyweights going head-to-head in the first match of the semi-final. So, make sure you know what time it’s on.
It’s been an eventful week for snooker fans. Ronnie O’Sullivan pulled out of the Masters (citing medical reasons), with Chris Wakelin subbed in to take on Neil Robertson.
Sadly, the late contender lost 6-2, allowing Robertson to proceed into the quarters.
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be for Robertson either – so you don’t want to miss the coverage of the semi-final today.
Masters semi-final: What time does the snooker start today?
The Masters semi-final will begin with the first match at 1pm today (January 17) on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The second match of the semis is scheduled to begin at 7pm. Unlike the world championship, the Masters is mostly played over the best of 11 frames – until the final, which is the best of 19 frames.
That means they won’t spill over into the next day, paving the way for coverage of the final to start at 1pm on Sunday, January 18.
Who won the snooker yesterday?
Kyren Wilson beat Neil Robertson 6-5 yesterday (January 16), sending him to the semis.
Meanwhile, Wu Yize (the WST’s 2022 ‘Rookie of the Year’) demolished Xiao Guodong 6-0.
Who’s playing today?
Judd Trump will face off against John Higgins in the first match of today’s Masters semi-finals.
Higgins made a comeback in the quarters against 2025 world champion Zhao Xintong, climbing from 3-5 to a 6-5 win. “I was so lucky,” he told BBC Sport.
“In the second-to-last frame I tried a plant and butchered it and fluked a ball. It was fate maybe.”
Trump played Mark Allen in the quarter-final. At the midway point, it looked like it could be anyone’s game, but it shifted in Trump’s favour and allowed him to secure a 6-2 victory.
“I didn’t have my A-game today and I had to dig deep at 2-2 to make that big important clearance and the game kind of turned after that,” he said.
Masters 2026: Semi-final and final schedule
Below, you can find the full snooker schedule for the rest of the Masters 2026 tournament:
Semi-final (January 17)
- Judd Trump v John Higgins – 1pm
- Kyren Wilson v Wu Yize – 7pm
Final (January 18)
- TBC v TBC – 1pm, continuing at 7pm
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