The Shanghai Masters is a relatively new ranking tournament that has been held since 2007, replacing the Malta Cup. Just as the name indicates, this event takes place in China.

The first player to win was Dominic Dale, and the following year, victory went to Ricky Walden.

Now that people are getting used to the Shanghai Masters, we’re naturally also getting more excited as this year’s event is coming up shortly. Previously, many players have complained about the inevitable jet-lag that will occur when tournaments are being held on the other side of the world (from Britain’s point of view that is, since most players are from the UK).

So, the question is – will the player who is most resistant against time differences have an advantage? That brings us on to another aspect – how will those who don’t have to worry about jet-lag, the Chinese players, get on?

Liang Wenbo and Ding Junhui are both obvious names here. Both have shown great effort in previous years to become their country’s big heroes. The choice of wildcards, unrevealed at this point, will be interesting. Dare one take a guess that there will be a few Chinese newcomers among those? China naturally wants to support its own players, and the Shanghai Masters gives them a great chance of showing snooker at its best on home ground.

One thing is for sure though. With a broken wrist, Mark Williams definitely has the odds against him. As bad as jet-lag may be, it’s probably safe to say anyone would prefer that over injury.