STUART Bingham will face Marco Fu in the first round of snooker's Masters in January.

The Basildon professional, who was knocked out by Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals of the UK Championship yesterday, will be in action at the Alexandra Palace in London.

The tournament runs between January 11 and 18 and feature the top 16 ranked players in the world.

Bingham was ranked eighth for the Masters draw.

Defending champion O'Sullivan faces Ricky Walden in the first round and Chelmsford-based Ali Carter faces Barry Hawkins.