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Mark Allen secured victory at the 2018 Masters, triumphing over Kyren Wilson with a 10-7 score in the final.
Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen, despite battling illness leading up to the tournament, rallied from behind, winning five consecutive frames to defeat Wales’ Mark Williams 6-2 in the Masters first round.
In a clash of former champions, Allen initiated the match with a break of 67, but the 50-year-old Williams responded, claiming the subsequent two frames to establish a 2-1 lead.
Allen, 39, countered with a break of 54 in the fourth frame, leveling the score at 2-2 heading into the mid-session interval. He then elevated his performance, constructing breaks of 60, 125, and 70 to seize control of the match.
Speaking with the BBC post-match, Allen disclosed the challenges he faced during his preparations.
“I felt comfortable, which is unusual,” Allen commented. “I usually prepare diligently for these events, but I was unable to prepare at all this time due to food poisoning, so I simply aimed to ‘go out there and give my best’.”
“I wouldn’t have had much left if it had got much closer.”
In the evening session, reigning world champion Zhao Xintong showcased his dominance, securing a 6-2 victory over England’s Gary Wilson.
It proved a frustrating afternoon for Williams, as errors crept into his gameplay. He failed to register a single break of 50 and achieved a pot success rate of only 71%.
His exit marks the third instance of a former world champion being defeated in the opening three matches, following Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby’s losses to Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong, respectively, on Sunday’s opening day.
In the quarter-finals on Thursday, Allen is slated to face either world number one Judd Trump or China’s Ding Junhui, who are scheduled to compete in their last-16 encounter on Wednesday.
Allen, who previously defeated Kyren Wilson to claim the 2018 Masters title, stated that he “was not getting carried away” regarding his aspirations for a repeat victory.
“This is my 11th quarter-final [at the Masters], but I’ve only won it once, so I need to rectify that – and this week is as good a time as any to do so,” Allen added.
Williams conceded that he “made it easy” for his opponent, stating: “I was pretty poor. It can happen and will happen more. I tried, even though it didn’t look like it.”
Zhao Xintong is aiming to complete snooker’s Triple Crown having won the World Championship in 2025 and the UK Championship in 2021
Zhao, who navigated through four qualifying matches and then five more at the Crucible to become the first Asian player to win the world title in May, became the third Chinese player to advance to this year’s Masters quarter-finals.
A break of 76 provided Wilson with the opening frame, as the Englishman sought his first Masters match win after prior first-round defeats in 2021 and 2024 against Kyren Wilson and Shaun Murphy, respectively.
However, Zhao capitalized on loose safety shots from Wilson, winning four consecutive frames with breaks of 50, 51, 54, and 72, while Wilson accumulated a mere 10 points during that period.
Wilson rallied to win the sixth frame, narrowing the deficit to 2-4, only to then relinquish a 51-0 advantage in the seventh frame.
Zhao constructed his fifth half-century break of the match, a 67 in the eighth frame, sealing a 6-2 victory – remarkably, the same scoreline witnessed in all four completed matches thus far.
Zhao, who had previously lost to John Higgins in the first round of his only other Masters appearance in 2022, stated: “I enjoyed the night. This is my second time at Alexandra Palace, and I truly enjoyed it.”
“I know he [Wilson] is a very good player, so I just wanted to make big breaks and prevent him from coming back. I’m just trying to get better.”
“Hopefully, we’ll have two Chinese players in the final. Tonight, I could see a lot of fans supporting me, so I feel very confident and didn’t want to lose. This is my first win at Alexandra Palace.”
Zhao is now set to face either four-time world champion John Higgins or two-time world runner-up Barry Hawkins in the next round.
Watch Masters Snooker: Allen one frame from victory against Williams
Murphy & Selby lose on thrilling Masters first day
Masters favourites, match schedule and BBC coverage times
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