World No. 17 Jamie Cope of England will replace the banned world No. 1 John Higgins at the Shanghai Masters this year, organizers of the event said yesterday.

Qi Wei, the general manager of the event, said Cope will compete directly in the knockout round as one of the 16 seeded players.

Scotland's Higgins is currently suspended from the game by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association for alleged match-fixing.

The fourth edition of the US$496,243 Shanghai Masters will be held at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium from September 6 to 12 this year.

China's Liu Song will play in the qualifiers.

The winner will walk away with 7,000 championship points in his world rankings.

Qi said the organizers were also negotiating with World Snooker to keep the top snooker tournament in the city.

Fans can also look forward to discounted tickets this year. Tickets bought before August 20 will be available for a 20-to-40 percent discounts, while students can lap it up for 50 percent less during the same period.