Riyadh Season World Masters: Mark Allen completes incredible comeback to beat Mark Selby after final frame drama
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Updated 05/03/2024 at 20:23 GMT
Mark Allen reached the semi-finals of the Riyadh Season World Masters after a dramatic victory over Mark Selby. The match went down to the final black, when the Northern Irishman showed his nerve to double into the middle pocket and claim a 4-3 victory. He had earlier looked set to make a swift exit from the tournament, after the Jester eased into a 3-1 lead, only to blow several victory chances.
‘This might top it all!’ - Allen seals deciding frame winner over Selby in ‘mind-blowing’ fashion
Mark Allen pulled off a stunning comeback to beat an under-par Mark Selby 4-3 in a nervy quarter-final at the Riyadh Season World Masters.
An incredible final frame, one like no other, saw the Northern Irishman pinch the match by doubling the black to complete a remarkable victory.
He had looked down and out for long periods of the clash, with Selby serenely moving into a 3-1 lead, only to lose his form as the winning line came within sight.
He had chances to put the match to bed in the fifth and sixth frames, only for his opponent to hold his nerve and force a tense decider.
The Jester took the opening two frames, aided by an excellent visit of 84 in the second, but was soon pegged back when Allen started to find his game, halving the deficit with a break of 73.
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Selby lands ‘important blow’ on Allen with comeback to take opening frame
The Pistol appeared set to level, until alarmingly missing a black by some distance on 53, and that paved the way for his opponent to clear up with a terrific 73 of his own to move to within one frame of victory.
That was the third frame out of four in which Selby had come from behind to steal victory, but the tables were turned in the fifth, when he broke down with a 54 point lead, as a grateful Allen, who looked converted a superb clearance of 65 to make it 3-2.
History repeated itself in the next frame. The Jester was left furious at himself for missing a black on 42, and the Northern Irishman duly nipped in to scored 52, eventually putting the frame to bed after a long battle on the blue.
That set up a dramatic decider, which was full of errors and tension, as both players got their hand on the table, but failed to compile a winning break.
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‘You can put that back if you want’ – Allen cracks joke after refereeing mistake
Selby did look set for victory when making a 45, only for his opponent to back, helped by a couple of fouls and a huge fluke on the green.
The final moments of the match were extraordinary, as the black was pushed over the right corner pocket, with Allen at one point snookered behind it.
He was forced to play an amazing shot on the pink, going in and out of baulk to pot it, before playing a quite sensational double on the black to claim victory and book his place in the semi-finals.
"I was actually trying to go off the side cushion, hit the pink and then I would develop the black," he confessed afterwards.
"I knew if I hit it full ball, I was going to land in trouble. I actually thought the white was going to drop in! It was such an easy shot to flick off the black, but I thought ‘no, I’m going for it.’ As long as I got a really good white, I’d be alright!
"It was such an easy safety, but you know what Mark’s like, he makes you work for everything. I could have been waiting a while for another chance, so I thought I’d go for it.
"I’ve come here to win. That’s what it’s all about. Every player who’s come here this week would have fancied their chances to win.
"I’m still here. There’ll only be four people left by the time I play again. I’ve got as good a chance as anyone."
Selby in the end could only smile after coming out on the wrong side of lady luck, but this is another disappointing defeat in a season in which he is yet to win a tournament.
Although this is only an invitational event, victory would have stood him in good stead ahead of another tilt at the World Championship.
"That last frame," he exclaimed. "Oh my God! He’s come off the jaw and snookered me behind the yellow, I’ve gone through the gap of the two reds and left a free ball, and then even at the end there, what happened, it was just one of those games!
"It was mental, but nothing surprises you in this game! But it sort of punishes you when you don’t take your chances. I had my chances to win 4-1, I had a chance to win 4-2. When you don’t, things like that happen. The game just doesn’t forgive you!"
Brecel finds form to beat Carter
While that match took over four hours to conclude, the one that followed took half as long, as world champion Luca Brecel beat Ali Carter 4-1.
The pair shared the opening four frames, with the Pilot benefiting from his opponent going in-off in the second, showing excellent fluency in a visit of 67 following a somewhat nervy opener.
Brecel responded with an even better 72 to regain the lead, with his potting particularly impressive, and he appeared to be racing to a 3-1 lead when on 63 in the fourth, only to miss a red to the right corner.
That was a huge relief to Carter, who had only had one shot in the frame to that point, while his opponent only needed a red and a colour to make it snookers required.
The two-time Crucible runner-up looked set for a brilliant steal, but missed the brown off its spot on 49, meaning the Belgian could add the brown and blue to finally open up a two frame advantage.
The fifth frame was similar to the first, with both players getting their hand on the table, only to spurn chances to putting together a significant visit.
Brecel in particular struggled with his cue ball control, but eventually got over the winning line, although he needed help from Carter, who missed a red to the right middle and saw a hit-and-hope after being snookered behind the blue go wrong.
"I was a bit nervous today to be honest," he admitted. "It doesn’t really happen that often, but today I felt it a little bit at the beginning.
"I was just trying to get into the game and I managed to do that. I settled quite quickly. It’s a new location. It’s always difficult to settle down, so I’m just really happy to still be in the tournament.
"I was just trying to get used to the table. It was quite difficult at the beginning, but I had some momentum at 2-1 up. Then I missed and easy red and it sort of changed, but I managed to win, so I’m very, very happy."
While defending World Champion will now play Mark Allen in the semis, Carter heads for an early exit, but he was not happy with a couple of events that were out of his hands, including having to wait so long to get on the table.
"I got here and for four hours I’m sitting in a room waiting to play," he said. "You come a long way and you have to deal with that. It’s a great event and it’s very raw at the minute.
"It’s such a big opportunity for someone to win a such a great event. For everything to go wrong today, right from the off, is very, very frustrating."
The Pilot was also unhappy with a scoreboard malfunction, which he says was the reason for the missed brown in frame four.
He added: "I’m clearing up, I want to get on with it, and the scorer’s got the score wrong. I’ve stunned up the table, thinking I can play anything I want, I’ve looked at the scoreboard, now all of a sudden I’m thinking ‘have I miscalculated?’
"It’s just completely put me out of my rhythm. I thought I had to pot the brown to be able to draw. I don’t know how it worked out, but as I’m looking at the blue, all of a sudden, the referee has gone ‘you’re on 41’, so I think I was 22 behind.
"It just completely threw me. I wasn’t on the yellow right. I wasn’t on the green right, the brown, the blue. It’s just so frustrating. It’s poor; very poor."
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