Mark Allen became the first player to reach the quarter-finals of the World Championship after eventually wriggling free of a persistent Joe Perry.
After the first two sessions, the Gent and the Pistol were locked at 8-8 having each won one session 5-3, but the Antrim man won all five frames in the final session including big breaks of 133 and 122 to secure his passage through to the next round.
Allen – the reigning Masters champion – has played as well as anybody in this tournament so far and looks to have grown in belief from winning his first Triple Crown event back in January.
Remarkably, this is the first time Allen has got past the first two rounds at the Crucible since 2011 having suffered a series of disappointing early exits in recent visits.
Questions have now quickly turned to how well-equipped Allen is to make a bid for this title and make it a second major win inside a season – and as has been the case for many years, he seems to have all the ingredients required to become a world champion.
His break-building is up there with the very best, he is tactically as strong as he’s ever been and also boasts bottle in abundance. His dominant victory over tournament-favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan en route to the Masters title proved once again that he’s not afraid to stand up to the biggest players around and will never shy away from a challenge.
Allen could face a Masters final re-match in the next round against Kyren Wilson if he can convert his early 5-3 lead over Jamie Jones into a win which would see him through a third successive Crucible quarter-final.
Having waited almost a decade to reach the one table setup in Sheffield, there’s still a long way to go for Allen but the signs are good so far.
@pistol147 knocks in a break of 122 to become the first quarter finalist of this year's @Betfred World Championship, beating Joe Perry 13-8.
Five frames on the spin for the Masters champion at the end! đ„đ„
