Neil Robertson will face John Higgins in the opening round of the 2025 Masters after Ronnie O'Sullivan pulled out of the tournament on Friday.
O'Sullivan, who was won the competition eight times, was due to face John Higgins in the opening match on Sunday afternoon .
O'Sullivan was the defending champion after beating Ali Carter 10-7 in the 2024 final but hasn't made it past the semi-finals of any tournament this season.
The 48-year-old was knocked out in the first round of the recent UK Championship in York, an event won by world No 1 Judd Trump as he beat O'Sullivan's conqueror Barry Hawkins 10-8.
A statement from the World Snooker Tour read: "Neil Robertson has replaced Ronnie O'Sullivan in the draw for the upcoming Johnstone's Paint Masters.
"Last year's champion O'Sullivan was due to face John Higgins in the opening match on Sunday afternoon, but has withdrawn on medical grounds."
Trump and Hawkins will meet again in the opening round of The Masters, which runs from January 12-19, while reigning world champion Kyren Wilson takes on Zhang Anda.
Another standout tie pits two-time Masters champion Mark Willams up against 2011 winner Ding Junhui.
The Masters is an invitational event with the top 16 players in the world given places.
No ranking points are awarded but the tournament is one of the most treasured on the calendar and forms part of the Triple Crown, alongside the World Championship and UK Championship.
Sunday January 12
1pm
Neil Robertson vs John Higgins
7pm
Shaun Murphy vs Gary Wilson
Monday January 13
1pm
Mark Williams vs Ding Junhui
7pm
Mark Selby vs Ali Carter
Tuesday January 14
1pm
Judd Trump vs Barry Hawkins
7pm
Mark Allen vs Si Jiahui
Wednesday January 15
1pm
Kyren Wilson vs Zhang Anda
7pm
Luca Brecel vs Chris Wakelin
Robertson/Higgins vs Murphy/G Wilson
Allen/Si vs Selby/Carter
Trump/Hawkins vs Williams/Ding
Brecel/Wakelin vs K Wilson/Zhang
