Mark Allen's much-anticipated seasonal debut at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters saw him miss a golden opportunity against Chang Bingyu.
Mark Allen finally made his much-anticipated seasonal debut at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Jeddah on Tuesday. But in a twist of fate, the Antrim player let go of a promising 4-3 lead against China’s Chang Bingyu.
This match marked Allen’s return to competitive snooker after missing the recent Shanghai Masters, jumping back into the fray in the fifth round alongside the other top 16 players.
Match Overview
Allen’s start was a bit rocky; he lost three of the first four frames, showing some signs of rust.
However, he quickly found his rhythm with impressive breaks of 102 and 74, allowing him to clinch three consecutive frames and take a brief lead. With victory almost within his grasp, Allen faced critical opportunities in the last two frames but stumbled, allowing Chang to capitalize and seal the match.
This sets up a thrilling last-16 clash against seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, who steamrolled Joe O’Connor with a dominant 5-0 victory.
Upsets in the Tournament
In other shocking news, world number one Judd Trump faced an unexpected defeat at the hands of Oliver Lines, losing 5-3. Veteran John Higgins also saw his tournament come to an end after a nail-biting decider against Elliott Slessor. Earlier, rookie Fergal Quinn celebrated his first competitive win, taking down Mahmoud Al Hareedy of Egypt 4-2, although he soon fell to Jamie Jones by the same score.
Other Matches and Results
Leone Crowley made it to round two by defeating Ziyad Alqabbani from the host nation 4-2, only to be eliminated in an all-Cork showdown against Aaron Hill, who won 4-1. Hill continued his impressive run, narrowly edging out Robert Milkins 4-3 in round three, but later succumbed to Gary Wilson with a score of 5-2.
Jordan Brown cleared his first hurdle by beating Canada’s Sayil Nayyar 4-1, but his journey was cut short when he lost 4-0 to Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. Meanwhile, Brown’s club-mate Robbie McGuigan was also ousted in the first round, suffering a 4-1 defeat against world amateur champion Gao Yang. Veteran player Ken Doherty made headlines with a solid 4-1 win over Jimmy White, but his progress halted against Latvia’s Artemijs Zizins in a deciding frame.
Conclusion
As the tournament heats up, the competition is fierce with plenty of unexpected twists. Snooker fans are on the edge of their seats, eager to see how the remaining matches will unfold, especially with heavyweights like Ronnie O’Sullivan advancing while others like Judd Trump face early exits. Who will rise to the occasion next?
