STEPHEN LEE

"I've watched so many finals on TV, winning this event
would be the biggest of my career without a shadow of a doubt.
"I'd love to be the champion."

The run he had there has given him belief. I don't want to give him any easy chances, if I can manage that I fancy the job."

"It will be a great atmosphere inside the Arena and it's a great situation to be in."

"But the job's not done yet. Mark Selby's on fire."
"He beat me at the Crucible last year after I was 5-0 up, so I have a score to settle with him. His performances at the World Championship kicked his career into gear."
"But if I don't give him easy chances then

 I fancy the job. I've got the game."

"The games have got harder all week long, but Mark played some good strong snooker."

"He's play some good stuff today. He deserves it."

"He's taken the whole session there and I'm a bit gutted, especially for all the supporters who've travelled up to see me.

"I've had a good week, but I'm gutted not to win, I so wanted to do well here for my good pal Paul Hunter."

MARK SELBY

 "It means the world to me to reach the final -

it feels like I'm on a roller coaster."

"I would have experienced the same feeling whether it had happened this season or in a few years time. But to make the final on my Masters debut is amazing."
"Only four debutants have won it but I'm concentrating on

going out and enjoying the match,"

"I've been hanging on in the last frame in most of these matches. At least there can't be a 6-5 result because it's the first to 10."

"It means the world to me to have won this."

"To win the Masters as my first title is a dream come true.

"I've been knocking on the door for w while and I'm chuffed to bits."

"I'm only 24 but sometimes I feel like I'm 40 years old, I do feel the nerves but I felt in control tonight."

"I'd like to thank SAGA for a great tournament and also Mike Ganley and his team, and Mukesh and Vicky who've been with me and helped me."

"I'd like to win the world, hopefully this year, but I hope it's only a matter of time."

KEN DOHERTY

MARK SELBY

"There were plenty of nerves. I just thought in that last frame

I wanted a chance and thankfully I got one."

STEPHEN LEE

"When I started out this week against Graeme (Dott) I couldn't pot a ball, but some things are meant to be."
"When Marco got back to 3-2 I could have done two ways,

either crumble or stick with it. I stuck with it and luckily I settled down. I feel great about my game, nice and calm."

"I could have crumbled when he got to 3-2, but after winning the next frame I felt at ease, and I felt fine towards the end."
"I was pleased with my concentration, I felt as if I was in the zone."

MARCO FU

"I didn't think at any point I could win the match, I just felt so tired.
"I felt awful out there. Stephen played well, but he wouldn't have
needed to play great to beat me."
"I don't think I've recovered from my match with Ding. I couldn't
think properly, it was really tough."

"It was the worst I have felt for a long time, I was very tired with no
adrenaline, as if I had jet lag."

"It's very disappointing to lose like I have."

DING JUNHUI

MARCO FU

PETER EBDON

STEPHEN LEE

STEPHEN MAGUIRE

MARK SELBY

KEN DOHERTY

SHAUN MURPHY

RONNIE O'SULLIVAN

"I love the Masters and I'm proud of my record over

the last four years"

"Stephen will take a lot from that match and come back stronger."

“I had my chances and didn’t take them. Naturally I’m
disappointed but Stephen played a decent match.
“It was a decent atmosphere but the whole point is to win

 and I didn’t win. It’s a failure as far as I’m concerned.”

STEPHEN MAGUIRE

"Ronnie's going to play well, he always does."

"It's up to me to give the crowd their money's worth."

"Hopefully it's a different outcome to the UK and a good show."

“I thought I was on my way home.
“I wasn’t even looking at the table. I was 100 per cent certain

he would clear up.
“It was the crowd who made me look up again and I realized then he missed. Luckily for me, the blue went near to a pocket and

I was able to finish it.”

"I think I had one fan out there!"

“Ronnie should have won it and the result was one of those which
usually don’t go my way.
“Everything I tried came off in the first five frames. But when I was at the table in frame six, I potted a colour in error after opening the reds and Ronnie made the century to start his comeback.
“I don’t fear playing Ronnie and I only wish I could play him more often - I love the rivalry."
“Now I feel as if I can win the tournament.”

STEPHEN HENDRY

"When I needed chances to win in the last three frames,

I didn't get any."
"At the moment I'm struggling for confidence. If I was playing like this in practice, I would give up."

"People will read into this result and say 'Hendry's gone', but I'm too good a player for my form not to come back."

"Every player says they're playing well in practice but I can
honestly say I'm hitting the ball better than I ever have
done. It makes it all the more frustrating that I haven't been
getting the results. I know it's there but it's a vicious
circle. You need confidence to win tournaments but you only
get confidence by winning. At the moment I just need a couple
of results and I'll be flying."
"I'm playing so well, it's just a matter of time before I'm back.

One good win then I'm back!"

"I've never heard so much rubbish from TV commentators about
my game, saying he's not any good any more'. If that was true
I'd be in the commentary box with them."

MARK SELBY

"He's been a great player, probably the best player to ever come out of snooker, but I'm not complaining. If he's missing balls then he's giving me chances."
"As far as wins go, that has to be up there with the best."
"To come here and beat Stephen, who has won the title here six times before, was a big ask for me. But obviously I've come through the match, so I'm chuffed to bits."

KEN DOHERTY

"The Conference Centre was great when it was full with 2,600. There was a superb atmosphere in there and I think that has been recreated in Wembley Arena,"

"That is very important from the players' and fans' perspective."

"I'm hoping for inspiration from my baby boy - I need to win a few tournaments because nappies can cost a bit."

"It's fantastic and amazing. There is a lot of nappy changing

and sleepless nights."
"Having a child has given me great joy and I feel very blessed.
"Losing a snooker match doesn't become so serious when you come home to your little baby."

"I've had some great matches at Wembley.

I lost the two finals and also missed that black which has since given me a few sleepless nights. However, I think I still think I have it in me to win the Masters."

"It is so strange to see someone with that ability that far down."
"But the overall standard is so high now on the circuit that even the first-round opponents can be tough to beat. So it's hard to make progress in competitions.2
"But Williams still has class and loves the big stage.

It's going to be a tough match for me."

"It's a fantastic feeling to play to that standard again.

This game is 90% between the ears and confidence is so important. I'm really chuffed."
"I have to say that being a father hasn't reduced my hunger for snooker. Actually it's the opposite. Since Christian came along

I've had a new desire and inspiration to do well for him."

"It would be crazy if Mark retires."

 "I can't see him leaving the game. We all have lows, but it's important to come through them and believe in yourself,"

MARK WILLIAMS

"I felt alright out there. I would have liked to have won,

so I'm naturally disappointed."

"This could even be my last Masters, as to hold on to a top-16 ranking means I will have to have a very good end to the season to have any chance of coming back here."

"I have to have a good end to the season to stand any chance of making the top 32."
"As for the qualifying school, I can't see myself turning up in Prestatyn if I drop out of the top 32, but hopefully

it won't come to that."

"I'll mull over my situation in the summer."

"There are plenty of things to do outside snooker, but hopefully I won't have to think about that."

SHAUN MURPHY

"Ali is a fantastic player and a great cueist. When he's in full flow

 I love watching him."
"I've played him a couple of times. He beat me 3-2 in group stages

 of the Grand Prix. But I then defeated him 6-3 in the semis of the Malta Cup. So it's very much honours even."
"The tournament is what it is and it has been a great event for a long, long time. It doesn't carry ranking points."
"But because it involves the top 16 and invites so the field always contains the crčme de la crčme players."

"I'm very pleased about my game considering I had not practiced over Christmas because I was ill."
"I was going to the toilet every 20 minutes. I'm still not well and
Ali was poorly during the match too."

"I've been consistent so far this season but I want to

win a tournament.."
"I play either Ken Doherty or Mark Williams in the next match. I've
not been past the quarter-finals here, so I'd like to achieve that."
 

ALI CARTER

"Shaun's a great player and I've known him for years."
"He's a thoroughly nice guy and, in terms of our snooker,

we grew up together."
"But all that will count for nothing when we're out at the table

and, at such a big tournament, it's important to be on song from

the very first ball."
"From my point of view, it's a tough start in the competition but,

at this level, you're never going to get an easy match."

"On Wednesday and Thursday I was so ill I couldn't get out of bed. I was in my dressing gown in cold sweats and wondering whether I would be able to play today."

" If you don't practise before a tournament you will soon

get found out and it's so disappointing to play like that in front

of a packed arena."
"I have to go back and regroup. I've got a lot of things going on in my life at the moment, particularly my snooker club in Chelmsford and my flying training. But I still love snooker, I want to stay in the top 16 and win tournaments."
"It's not easy being a snooker player. I suppose it's not that hard either, at least I don't have to dig up a road or something."

GRAEME DOTT

STEPHEN LEE

PETER EBDON

"It’s a very good win for me because Ryan is an excellent player."

"He’s good enough to get into the top eight and I see him as a potential World Champion."
"It’s also nice because the tournament is being televised in Dubai for the first time. It’s the early hours of the morning there now

but Deborah and the kids have recorded it so they can

watch it tomorrow."
"I’m just taking this tournament one match at a time, but I must admit that as a Londoner, to win it would mean everything. I used to come here as a kid to watch Jimmy White and Steve Davis, so just to play in it is a dream."

RYAN DAY

NEIL ROBERTSON

MARCO FU

"There are no easy games here, so any win is good."

"It's great to still be involved in such a fantastic tournament."

"The first six frames were very good standard and we both scored heavily amongst the balls."
"But after that it went scrappy and for some reason

 I lost my rhythm."
"At the end, I was just relieved to get a chance. I wasn't nervous

but I didn't feel comfortable out there."

JOHN HIGGINS

“I’m really really proud that happened, obviously, it’s great,

first of all, for the sport that another person has

been given that award."

“I suppose you don’t realise you’re involved in a match until you sit down and maybe think ‘well that was a fantastic match’, but whenever you’re playing a match you’re just involved and you’re just in the middle of it and you don’t realise if the standard is good or bad. You’re just trying to pot every ball as it comes.”
“Obviously it was good to win that game against Ronnie.

I’ve played Ronnie twice before in the final there and I’ve had two drubbings off him so it was good to get one back on him I suppose!"
“They’re the games you love to play in. I’ve been playing for a few years now and they’re the games that you love – when you’re facing one of the best players that has ever lived.”

“After the start to the season he’s had Ronnie has to be considered the favourite.”
“There’s a couple of others; Shaun Murphy and Stephen Maguire that have had a good start to the first half of the season. But I would probably put Ronnie as the favourite just now, definitely."
“It’s definitely one of the main tournaments of the season that we all look forward to though.”

DING JUNHUI

"Ronnie played very well that day."
"I started OK but then he [Ronnie] began to play brilliantly

and I just lost my concentration."

"It will be a difficult opening match. I met him [John Higgins] twice in the Premier League this season and lost on both occasions."

RYAN DAY

“This will be only my second appearance at the Masters.”

 “I’m quite excited as behind the World Championships, the Masters is the snooker event the public love."
“The Masters is steeped in tradition and prestige but playing a wildcard game isn’t ideal as the winner gets no extra money or ranking points. But the prizes will, hopefully, come along later."
“Barry is also a very good mate, one of my very best on tour. I’m just
organising my stag weekend to Spain as Lynsey and I

are getting married in May."

"So, hopefully, after I win, he’ll except an invitation to my stag do as an apology. What if he wins? I’ll be too annoyed to ask him!"
“But, seriously, my family life is perfect, it couldn’t be better.
“But professionally, I’m not satisfied. I want to win tournaments and become a Welsh snooker great.”

"Barry told me after the match that the high break prize is Ł10,000 - if I had known that I would have just played for the brown

and gone for a 144."

BARRY HAWKINS

"I'm really looking forward just to getting started.
"I've been practising really hard recently and am hoping

to do myself justice."

"If I can get past Ryan then I feel confident of getting a result in the first round match with Peter Ebdon, as I've got a record against him.
"This is the second biggest tournament in terms of money and a good run would be the perfect start to the year for me."

"I'm starting to knock on the door again,

like I did a few seasons ago."
"I just want to go that one step further now and go all the way."
"I'm definitely on the way back, I can feel it."
"I'm not actually on top form but definitely playing 100 times better than last season. I think my results are starting to show that."
"I've made three last 16s on the trot now and I want to start making some finals."

MARCO FU

"Steve is one of the reasons why I started to play the game."
"I'm sure most of the crowd will be on his side

but I don't mind that."

"That year [2005] was probably the low point of my career."
"I didn't qualify for the Crucible and along with dropping out of the top 16, it left me very disappointed with the way things were going."
"Technically, I was having a lot of problems. Back then I didn't have a coach and it was hard to figure out what I was doing wrong."

"If there is a three-week break between tournaments

I try to get home."
"It's good to get back and see family and friends. I have a match table in a local club and get plenty of practice."
"Unfortunately, there aren't as many clubs in Hong Kong as they used to be. But the game has grown in popularity on mainland China since I turned professional 10 years ago."

STEVE DAVIES

"That was bad for me, I played rubbish snooker."

"I missed too many bad shots and I never really got off the ground."

"I felt like screaming at times and very nearly did!"

'Missing that black just summed up my frustration. I'd got myself in with a chance of getting back to 3-3, and it wasn't the hardest shot.
"I was wanting to scream but I mouthed something instead. I tried to do it as I was walking away from the table. Sometimes it's best to let it all out, and I was OK by the time I sat back down in my chair."
"The best thing is to laugh, there's no point in getting upset.

The game could have gone either way and missing

the black was debilitating."
'It makes your job harder and the other guy's easier when you're looking to put the pressure on your opponent. It looked like I was just about to get back into the game, and I tripped at the first hurdle."

'"his could be my last Masters, but I'm quite philosophical
about it if that's the way it turns out.

"There's no point in getting upset,"
"I'd prefer to qualify for the Masters by right, but if I get an invite

I won't refuse it. I'll think about my career in the summer."