Yan, the winner of the 2021 Masters on his debut, was suspended from the World Snooker Tour on December 12th for allegations of manipulating the outcome of matches for betting reasons.

A 14-day period to appeal has since passed and he will now not turn out at The Masters at Alexandra Palace, with Gilbert taking his place.

The 41-year-old was the next player in line to claim a spot with a ranking of 17 and will face three-time world champion Mark Williams on January 10th.

Gilbert has played in The Masters twice, making his debut in 2020 and his last appearance coming in 2021.

He fared well in those outings, reaching the semi-final on both occasions.

But his form coming into the event is patchy with his best finish so far this term coming in the form of a quarter-final exit at the Northern Ireland Open.