Three matches into the tournament at Alexandra Palace and three former World Champions have been knocked out, all by a 6-2 scoreline, as Williams joined Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby in suffering early exits. By winning his first ever Masters meeting with Williams, Allen goes through to the quarter-finals and will face either Judd Trump or Ding Junhui next.
World number ten Allen won this title in 2018, beating Kyren Wilson in the final, and is looking to join a group of 12 other players to have lifted the trophy on multiple occasions. For most of last week he was sick in bed but fortunately for the Pistol he was back to full fitness today as he booked an 11th Masters quarter-final.
Allen took the opening frame with a break of 67, then the second was in the balance at 47-47 when Williams stroked an excellent long yellow into a baulk corner and cleared to the blue which proved enough for 1-1. The Welshman then got the better of a scrappy third to go ahead, before Northern Ireland’s Allen took the fourth with runs of 54 and 28.
Williams had a scoring chance early in frame five, but on 13 he missed a short range red to a top corner and Allen punished him with 60 to regain the lead. Riding the wave of momentum, Allen fired a break of 125 to go 4-2 ahead then dominated frame seven with a run of 70. In a fragmented eighth, Williams trailed 40-10 when he overcut a tricky red to a top corner, and that proved his last shot as Allen added the points he needed.
“I was in a bad way last week but I was never pulling out, I would have played sick if I’d needed to,” insisted Allen, who turns 40 next month. “These are the events that your career is judged on.Â
“I can’t believe it’s eight years since I won it because it feels like yesterday – I can tell you every emotion I went through in those last few shots and in the celebration afterwards with my dad.Â
“Any win against Mark is a big one, I played some good stuff particularly after the interval and I felt 6-2 was a fair scoreline.Â
“Both Ding and Judd have had quiet seasons by their very high standards to they will be looking to put something right this week.”Â
Williams, whose highest break was just 36, said: “I was poor. That’s what I expect, it will probably happen to me more and more and I just accept it. I tried my best but my boy (son Joel) could have had bigger breaks than me. I made it easy for Mark.“
Zhao Xintong raised his hopes of becoming the first Asian player to complete snooker’s Triple Crown as he beat Gary Wilson 6-2 in the first round of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters.
Though he admits that playing as reigning World Champion adds extra pressure, Zhao swept to a comfortable victory tonight to notch a first win in this event, as his only previous appearance at Alexandra Palace ended in defeat against John Higgins in 2022. This time he will meet Higgins or Barry Hawkins in the quarter-finals on Thursday afternoon. Zhao is one of a record five Chinese players in the draw and already three of those are into the last eight, as Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong also progressed on Sunday.
UK Champion in 2021, Zhao went on to become the first Asian to conquer the Crucible last Spring, so he needs only the Masters to become the 12th player to lift all three Triple Crown trophies. The 28-year-old’s knack of making snooker look ridiculously easy was evident tonight as he rattled in five breaks over 50.
Wilson took the opening frame with a break of 76 but scored just ten points in the next four frames as Zhao surged ahead with runs of 50, 51, 54 and 72. The sixth went Wilson’s way and he had chances in the seventh, but crucially missed a tricky green with the rest to a baulk corner, then botched his next safety shot on the green, gifting his opponent the opening to go 5-2 ahead. That ended Wilson’s hopes of a fight back as Zhao wrapped it up in the next with a run of 67, ensuring that all four matches so far this week have finished 6-2.
“IÂ really enjoyed tonight, I heard lot of Chinese fans and I got more confidence from their support,” said Zhao. “Gary is a very good player and he started well, after the first frame I made sure I concentrated and I believed I could play well.
“It’s a surprise and very good news to have five Chinese players still here. Chinese snooker is much better than before and hopefully in the future we can have even more players in the Masters because it’s an amazing event.
“I definitely have big pressure since I won the world title. I don’t think about it until I get to the venue then get close to the table, then I feel it. But I try to enjoy that pressure.”Â
Wilson, who has now lost his opening tie in all three Masters appearances, said: “I was very chilled out there tonight but I knew deep down I was not cueing well enough, I am cueing like a bad amateur. The better player won. You go out there wanting to put on some kind of performance and I am just nowhere near the player I should be. I used to be a far better player than this.”
Those reports are comprehensive enough and I don’t have much to add. In the evening match, Zhao played well and he’s very good to watch too when on his game. It was a one-sided match, but it was entertaining. The afternoon match was painful to watch at times, as both players struggled. All credits to Mark Allen for battling hard through illness.
About illnesses …
Ronnie has withdrawn from this event citing medical reasons. What exactly those reasons are wasn’t disclosed. Of course Ronnie has a history of mental health struggles and it was natural to assume this was (part of) the reasons for his withdrawal. However, several sources on social media and in the press have revealed that Laila Rouass, Ronnie’s wife, is ill with an incurable disease. From what transpired, it’s not life threatening but it’s something that causes her to “lose control over her body”, without more details. Of course we, the public, have NO “right to know”. However this opens the real possibility that Ronnie is actually prioritising staying with her if he feels she needs/wants his presence during this challenging period in her life over adding more titles to his impressive CV. That would definitively be the right thing to do.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 