Luca Brecel tends to save himself for the most prestigious events and the 2023 world champion can showcase his talents in his Masters curtain-raiser against tournament debutant Chris Wakelin.
Brecel has not had much impact since conquering the Crucible two years ago, but his run to the final of the Riyadh Season Championship before Christmas was a timely return to form for the Belgian.
The 29-year-old appears to be motivated for the big tournaments and the hefty purses that come with it and he will be keen to get through this contest having suffered back-to-back first-round exits at Alexandra Palace.
However, the atmosphere at this venue can be tricky adjusting to for those making their first appearance in the tournament and that is a scenario that Wakelin is faced with.
A semi-final run at the English Open and a runner-up effort at the International Championship shows that the Warwickshire cueman is thriving being amongst the world’s top 16, but this is uncharted territory for him.
Luca Brecel -1.5 frames on the handicap - 1/1
Brecel is a frustrating customer who can be criticised for not always getting the best out of his ability, but the signs are that the Belgian is slowly rediscovering his peak form.
He went under a cloud after winning the World Championship in 2023 and was open about enjoying himself more off the table than he was on it.
As a result, Brecel finds himself down at world number eight having originally risen to world number two, but the start of December signalled an upturn in form.
The 29-year-old made the quarter-final of the Scottish Open, where he recorded wins over Zhou Yuelong and Ding Junhui, and then he made the final of the illustrious Riyadh Season Championship.
That tournament is an invitational event for the best players in the world and Brecel recorded victories over Zhang Anda, current world champion Kyren Wilson and Mark Williams before bumping into a fired-up Mark Allen.
Having barely won a match at the start of the season, Brecel has now reigned supreme in seven of his last nine contests and he arrives at the Masters with a bit of confidence in his game.
So it would be disappointing if he was not able to overcome Wakelin, who is sure to feel unsettled in the early stages of what is his Masters debut.
Brecel has won three of his past four rivalries with Wakelin, with each success coming by three frames, and he should be keen to put on a show in front of this atmospheric crowd.
That should play to the Belgian’s strengths given he considers himself to be a bit of a showman and he is fancied to win this best-of-11 encounter by at least two frames.
Under 0.5 centuries - 2/1
There is the potential for this to be a cagey contest, with Brecel desperately trying to unearth his A-game and Wakelin preparing for his first ever trip to Alexandra Palace.
With that in mind, there could be plenty of cagey frames and it may not be a high-scoring classic.
At 2/1, small stakes on no century to be made could be worth chancing.
Brecel has failed to compile a ton in six of his last seven matches, while Wakelin has made only one century across his last four matches.
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Luca Brecel - 8/13
Chris Wakelin - 13/10
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.