Mark Allen produced a resilient performance at the Masters, recovering from illness to defeat Mark Williams 6–2 and secure his place in the quarter-finals. Despite spending most of the week confined to bed with food poisoning, the 2018 champion strung together five frames in succession to turn the match decisively in his favour.
Allen had trailed 2–1 early in the contest, but his scoring touch and composure under pressure shifted the momentum. Reflecting on the match, he admitted that preparation had been almost impossible: he had been “lying in bed all week with food poisoning” and simply resolved to “go out there and give my best”. He also conceded that if the match had been closer, his energy reserves would have been severely tested.
The illness struck suddenly, leaving him weakened in the days leading up to his opening match. He described a night of repeated vomiting followed by several days of fatigue, making his eventual performance even more notable. The victory sets up a quarter-final meeting with either Judd Trump or Ding Junhui.
Williams acknowledged that he had struggled to keep pace, describing his own display as below par and admitting that he was unable to produce the scoring power required. He suggested that such performances may become more frequent as his career progresses, though he stressed he had still given maximum effort throughout the match.
Later in the day, Zhao Xintong advanced impressively with a 6–2 win over Gary Wilson, maintaining his pursuit of snooker’s prestigious triple crown. Already a world and UK champion, the 28-year-old produced a sequence of fluent half-century breaks and appeared in full control for long stretches of the match.
Zhao spoke of the confidence he drew from the backing in the arena, noting that he “could see a lot of fans supporting me so I feel very confident and I didn’t want to lose”, and he marked the occasion as his first victory at Alexandra Palace. His progress adds another chapter to his rise, and he now awaits a meeting with either John Higgins or Barry Hawkins in the last eight.
Both Allen and Zhao therefore move forward with contrasting stories: one recovering from illness to grind out a victory, the other sweeping through in commanding style. Together, their performances helped shape an eventful opening phase of the Masters and set up compelling quarter-final encounters.
