German Masters Hit by Late Withdrawals as Robertson and Brown Get Walkovers
The 2026 Machineseeker German Masters has suffered two late withdrawals ahead of its return to Berlin, with Chang Bingyu and Wu Yize both pulling out of the event at the Tempodrom.
Chang Bingyu was scheduled to face Neil Robertson in the opening session on Monday evening, but his withdrawal—understood to be due to visa complications—means Robertson advances directly into the last 32 without playing a frame. In the same session, Wu Yize was due to meet Jordan Brown, however the young Chinese player has withdrawn on medical grounds, handing Brown a walkover into the next round.
Aside from those two absences, no further withdrawals have been confirmed, and the tournament is set to run as planned from January 26 to February 1, with a packed schedule and a strong field still in contention.
Action gets underway with several Round 1 held-over matches, all played over the best of nine frames. The afternoon session (UK 14:00 / Thailand 21:00) features a series of high-profile encounters, including Kyren Wilson vs Robert Milkins, Mark Allen vs Oliver Lines, Shaun Murphy vs Zak Surety, and Barry Hawkins vs Mark Davis. Later in the evening (UK 19:00 / Thailand 02:00), attention turns to Mark Williams against Sanderson Lam, alongside Chris Wakelin’s clash with Ishpreet Singh Chadha.
With a £100,000 winner’s cheque on offer and total prize money of £550,400, the German Masters remains one of the standout ranking events on the calendar. Even early-round victories carry significance, with £5,400 available for reaching the last 32 and £9,000 for a place in the last 16, while a £5,000 bonus awaits the tournament’s highest break.
Despite the late withdrawals, Berlin is once again set for a week of top-class snooker, with drama, opportunity, and ranking points very much on the line.
