Allen recovers from ’embarrassing’ start to winMedia caption, Mark Allen’s 140 breakByMichael EmonsBBC Sport journalist at the Crucible Theatre, SheffieldPublished19 April 2026, 13:35 BST25 Comments
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Allen recovers from ’embarrassing’ start to winMedia caption, Mark Allen’s 140 breakByMichael EmonsBBC Sport journalist at the Crucible Theatre, SheffieldPublished19 April 2026, 13:35 BST25 Comments
Former world number one Mark Allen fought back from an “absolutely embarrassing” first session to beat China’s Zhang Anda 10-6 and move into the last 16 of the World Championship.
Northern Ireland’s Allen trailed 5-3 after Saturday’s first session at the Crucible without making a break of 50, and spent the evening having “some drinks with my mates, a few more drinks and watching the football”.
But on Sunday he looked a different player.
The 40-year-old produced a magnificent clearance of 140 to start his recovery, following that with a break of 109.
His third century in five frames came with a 129 to move one away from victory, which he sealed with a break of 81.
Zhang, who has lost in the first round on all six Crucible appearances, scored only 42 points in the last six frames as Allen stormed through.
Three-time champion and 2025 runner-up Mark Williams, 51, cruised into the next round thanks to a 10-4 win over 22-year-old Antoni Kowalski, the first Polish player to qualify.
Williams led 6-3 after the first session and Kowalski – the same age as the Welshman’s oldest child – took the first frame, but breaks of 65 and 115 left the veteran one frame from the win, which he took by winning the 14th frame on the black.
“He is a cracking potter and with a little bit of experience he is definitely one to watch out for,” reported Williams.
“He started off like a train and it could have been 2-0. I won 10-4 but it was closer than the scoreline suggests.
“I missed a few easy balls, a few long ones by three feet, and the older you get the more you miss easy balls. I’ve won a ranking tournament at 51 and that’s more than I could have dreamed of.
“I love being out there, I love competing and I can still pot anything on the table – and miss some easy balls.”
Next up for Williams is 2013 runner-up Barry Hawkins, who won 10-4 against Wales’ Matthew Stevens.
After his win, Allen reported: “I was so frustrated yesterday – I’ve been doing things so well on the practice table, being in the gym and eating well.
“After that match yesterday I just went out and had a few drinks and a burger.
“I thought, ‘I can’t play any worse than yesterday’. I was so down on myself, I didn’t want to talk to anyone.
“So I went out, had a few bets and watched the football with my mates. A bit of bad food, slept really well and played much better.”
Allen, who will play 2024 champion Kyren Wilson or 19-year-old Stan Moody in the last 16, reported: “Yesterday was absolutely embarrassing, very frustrating and I was completely gutted with my performance.
“I came in today with less expectations, but when you’re out there you realise how much you want it and the fire in your belly comes back.
“I can’t have many more sessions like I did yesterday. I got away with one. It’s not good enough at this level.
“That second session was decent, but I’ve been here for 20 years and I would like to think there’s been better ones.
“I need to be doing that every time I play here. Ronnie [O’Sullivan], [John] Higgins and [Mark] Selby produce that type of session every time.”
Mark Allen’s post-win interview
Allen reached the semi-finals of the World Championship in 2009 and 2023 and has won two-thirds of snooker’s Triple Crown – the Masters in 2018 and the UK Championship in 2022.
He has won 12 ranking titles and had a three-month spell as world number one in 2024.
“I’m not going out drinking on Wednesday. I just felt something needed to change. If I hadn’t done that I would have imploded,” reported Allen.
“I want to be world champion. It will be a disappointing career for me if I look back and I haven’t won it.
“I just want it so much. I would rather have that feeling than not care. You want to win the World Championship – that’s why you start to play as a 12-year-old.”
Four-time winner Higgins from Scotland made a blistering start against two-time runner-up Ali Carter, leading 4-0, with the Englishman only potting 14 balls and scoring 37 points.
But it flipped around after the mid-session interval with Carter, helped by breaks of 91 and 74, winning five frames to secure a 5-4 advantage before Monday’s second session.
China’s Ding Junhui holds a 7-2 lead over England’s David Gilbert after a dominant opening session.
Gilbert, 44, a two-time semi-finalist, won two qualifying matches but did not score a point in four of the nine frames and collected only 83 points in the final seven frames.
Ding, who lost in the 2016 final, made breaks of 94 and 100 and is only three frames away from sealing a last-16 tie against compatriot Zhao Xintong, the reigning champion.
Hawkins led 7-2 after the first session against Stevens, with the Welshman winning the first two frames on Sunday to close the gap to three, before Hawkins pulled away to win it 10-4.
Both players were unhappy with the table two conditions. Stevens reported: “The conditions were really tough. A few people reported the cushions are a bit bouncy, but it’s the same for both players.
“It’s the worst I felt [here]. It spoiled the game a bit and the conditions were really disappointing.”
Hawkins reported: “It was no good at all. I don’t like slating the conditions and the fitters do a great job. The cushions – they [the balls] are coming off so much quicker than they are coming in and it’s so hard to control the cue ball and you have no confidence in your cueing.
“I don’t know what it’s going to be like for those on Tuesday. It’s going to be like a ping pong table.”
A statement from the World Snooker Tour read: “There are always challenges in providing the best possible conditions for players as there are many factors which affect this.
“Our dedicated team of table fitters work tirelessly in delivering the best possible conditions and they are constantly monitoring the tables.
“We have systems in place where players can give feedback after every match.”
Xiao Guodong became the fifth seeded player from five matches to go through as he defeated fellow Chinese player Zhou Yuelong 10-6.
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