Ding Junhui begins the defence of his Masters crown against legend Ronnie O'Sullivan at Alexandra Palace on Sunday.

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The match brings the curtain up on what promises to be a superb event, staged for the first time at London's magnificent Ally Pally.

Chinese ace Ding knows he has a score to settle as he sets out to banish the memory of his 2007 defeat to Ronnie in the final.

O'Sullivan has been psychologically fragile over the past few months, once again threatening to hang up his cue after his second round exit to Judd Trump at the UK Championship last month.

The Rocket, a four-time Masters winner, has not played a competitive game since the UK and will be hoping to hit back and state his intentions by disposing of Ding in a tricky first round tie.

Tournament favourite O'Sullivan has fallen to 16th in the world and must find form in a major ranking event if he is to stay within snooker's elite.

Both players are renowned for their clinical break-building and are likely to produce a thrilling encounter on Sunday afternoon over a relatively short format.

The duo famously met in the final of the 2007 event, with O'Sullivan reducing a young Ding to tears with a 10-3 hammering.

The bookmakers make Ronnie the 8/15 favourite to progress, with Ding offering value at 6/4 with Bet365.

The match begins at 1.30pm and will be streamed live over the best of eleven frames from the Alexandra Palace, London.