# 2021 Masters (snooker)
The 2021 Masters was a professional invitational snooker tournament, the 47th edition of the Masters, held from 10 to 17 January 2021 at the Marshall Arena in [Milton Keynes](https://www.edgepedia.org/milton-keynes) and won by Yan Bingtao, who defeated [John Higgins](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-higgins) 10-8 in the final.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55489374) • [2](https://snookerhq.com/2021/01/17/masters-final-john-higgins-yan-bingtao/) The event was played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, and it was the first Masters final without spectators in attendance.[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55696970)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates and venue | 10-17 January 2021, Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes, played behind closed doors and moved from Alexandra Palace to follow Covid-19 regulations[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55604543) |
| Champion | Yan Bingtao, aged 20 and world number 11, beat John Higgins 10-8 in the final on his Masters debut[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55696970) |
| Significance | Youngest Masters champion in 26 years; only the second player from China to win the title, after Ding Junhui in 2011[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55696970) • [5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jan/18/yan-bingtao-recovers-beat-john-higgins-win-masters-snooker-crown) |
| Prize money | £250,000 to the champion, the biggest payday of Yan's career, from a total prize fund of £725,000[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55696970) • [6](https://salarysport.com/snooker/season/2021/prize-money/) |
| Highest break | 145, by John Higgins against Ronnie O'Sullivan[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55489374) |
| Runner-up | John Higgins, a two-time Masters winner aged 45, in his fifth career Masters final[2](https://snookerhq.com/2021/01/17/masters-final-john-higgins-yan-bingtao/) |
## Venue and pandemic conditions
The tournament was originally scheduled for [Alexandra Palace](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexandra-palace) in London, but the World Snooker Tour moved it to the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes to follow Covid-19 regulations, holding the event in a "bubble" environment behind closed doors.[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55604543) Two players were removed from the draw before a ball was played: [Judd Trump](https://www.edgepedia.org/judd-trump) and [Jack Lisowski](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-lisowski) were ruled out after positive Covid-19 tests.[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55604543)
## Results
The draw consisted of the world's top 16 players, with first-round matches over six frames won, quarter-finals and semi-finals over six, and a best-of-19 final.[7](https://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/news/the-masters-schedule-and-results/187951) • [2](https://snookerhq.com/2021/01/17/masters-final-john-higgins-yan-bingtao/) Defending champion [Stuart Bingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/stuart-bingham) lost 5-6 to Yan in the semi-finals.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55489374)
**First round:** [Kyren Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyren-wilson) 6-2 Gary Wilson; David Gilbert 6-2 Joe Perry; Stuart Bingham 6-4 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh; [Shaun Murphy](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaun-murphy) 6-4 Mark Williams; Yan Bingtao 6-5 [Neil Robertson](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-robertson); Stephen Maguire 6-3 Mark Selby; Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-5 Ding Junhui; John Higgins 6-5 Mark Allen.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55489374)
**Quarter-finals:** David Gilbert 6-5 Kyren Wilson; Stuart Bingham 6-3 Shaun Murphy; Yan Bingtao 6-5 [Stephen Maguire](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-maguire); John Higgins 6-3 [Ronnie O'Sullivan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronnie-osullivan).[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55489374)
**Semi-finals:** John Higgins 6-4 David Gilbert; Yan Bingtao 6-5 Stuart Bingham.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55489374)
**Final:** Yan Bingtao 10-8 John Higgins.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55489374)
## Yan Bingtao's run to the title
Yan reached the final by winning three consecutive deciding frames, beating Neil Robertson, Stephen Maguire, and defending champion Stuart Bingham, each 6-5, a run that emulated [Mark Selby](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-selby)'s path to the 2008 final on debut.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jan/18/yan-bingtao-recovers-beat-john-higgins-win-masters-snooker-crown) • [2](https://snookerhq.com/2021/01/17/masters-final-john-higgins-yan-bingtao/) At 20, he was the youngest player to reach a Masters final since [Ding Junhui](https://www.edgepedia.org/ding-junhui), then 19, managed the feat in 2007, and the first player born in the 2000s to do so.[2](https://snookerhq.com/2021/01/17/masters-final-john-higgins-yan-bingtao/)
## The final
Higgins, 25 years Yan's senior and a two-time Masters winner, led 5-3 after the afternoon session and 7-5 in the evening, but Yan won five of the next six frames to take the match 10-8.[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55696970) • [5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jan/18/yan-bingtao-recovers-beat-john-higgins-win-masters-snooker-crown) In an extraordinary start to the concluding session, Yan retrieved a 67-point deficit with a 67 break and won the frame on the respotted black, then made a 76 to level at 5-5.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jan/18/yan-bingtao-recovers-beat-john-higgins-win-masters-snooker-crown) Higgins answered with back-to-back breaks of 74 and 116, but an in-off from a safety handed Yan a frame, and Yan leveled at 7-7 with a 103, his first century of the final.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jan/18/yan-bingtao-recovers-beat-john-higgins-win-masters-snooker-crown) From 8-8, a 70 break moved Yan one frame from victory, and he repelled Higgins's attempt to claim the three snookers he required.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jan/18/yan-bingtao-recovers-beat-john-higgins-win-masters-snooker-crown)
The title was Yan's first major, adding to the 2019 Riga Open ranking event he had won, and he lifted the [Paul Hunter](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-hunter) trophy with the £250,000 first prize.[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55696970) • [2](https://snookerhq.com/2021/01/17/masters-final-john-higgins-yan-bingtao/) By converting his first opportunity, he became only the second player from China to win the tournament, after the 2011 winner Ding Junhui.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jan/18/yan-bingtao-recovers-beat-john-higgins-win-masters-snooker-crown) Higgins praised his opponent after the match, telling the BBC: "He was fantastic – he's got such an incredible all-round game."[5](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jan/18/yan-bingtao-recovers-beat-john-higgins-win-masters-snooker-crown)
## Highest break
The tournament's highest break of 145 was compiled by John Higgins in his quarter-final match against Ronnie O'Sullivan.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55489374)
## Later context
Yan's career was later interrupted by the WPBSA's match-fixing investigation: he was suspended from the World Snooker Tour on 12 December 2022 and was one of ten Chinese players facing 27 charges of match fixing and betting offenses before a WPBSA Disciplinary Commission chaired by Ian Mill KC, whose final decision was issued in 2023.[8](https://wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/230606-WPBSA-v-Snooker-Players-Final-Decision.pdf)
## References
1. [Masters snooker 2021: Full tournament results and highest break, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55489374)
2. [The Masters Final: John Higgins vs Yan Bingtao, SnookerHQ.com](https://snookerhq.com/2021/01/17/masters-final-john-higgins-yan-bingtao/)
3. [Yan Bingtao beats John Higgins to win Masters title, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55696970)
4. [Masters 2021: Judd Trump and Jack Lisowski ruled out after positive Covid-19 tests, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/55604543)
5. [Yan Bingtao wins Masters snooker title on debut as comeback stuns Higgins, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jan/18/yan-bingtao-recovers-beat-john-higgins-win-masters-snooker-crown)
6. [Snooker Prize Money 2021 by Player and Tournament, Salary Sport](https://salarysport.com/snooker/season/2021/prize-money/)
7. [The Masters snooker results, draw, schedule, Sporting Life](https://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/news/the-masters-schedule-and-results/187951)
8. [SPORT RESOLUTIONS: WPBSA v Snooker Players, Final Decision, WPBSA](https://wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/230606-WPBSA-v-Snooker-Players-Final-Decision.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Other individual sports and outdoor recreation › Cue sports (billiards, snooker, darts) › Snooker › Snooker tournaments and seasons › Masters and major invitational events*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license