Mark Allen Makes Strong Comeback to Reach Semi-Finals

Mark Allen secured his spot in the semi-finals of the Champion of Champions tournament in Bolton with a 6-4 victory over Jak Jones in the Group One final. Trailing 3-0 early on, Allen mounted a strong comeback with breaks of 72, 64 and 104, leveling the match. A clearance of 66 in frame seven which he won by a single point and an 82-run in frame eight put him within one of victory.

However, Jones responded with a 104 break in the ninth frame to close the gap but Allen secured the victory by winning the tenth frame. “I was all at sea at the start, but after that, I didn’t miss much,” Allen told ITV Sport after the match. “I felt like I upped the tempo and played some good stuff even though it could have gone four-all.” Earlier, Allen had advanced to the group final with a 4-2 win over Brazil’s Igor Figueiredo.

Despite losing the opening frame, Mark Allen bounced back with runs of 61, 102 and 107 to take control and secure his place in the final. Jones, who reached the final after defeating Gary Wilson 4-2 had a strong start, taking a 3-0 lead with breaks of 106 and 53. Wilson fought back with a 120 break in frame four and a 132 break to reduce the deficit but Jones sealed the win in the sixth frame.

The tournament, featuring 16 players split into four groups is down to the semi-finals with the winner of Sunday’s final set to take home £150,000.