BBC Sport4/25/2026Sports1 min read

Mark Allen Reaches World Championship Quarter-Finals After Thrilling Victory Over Kyren Wilson

Northern Irish former world number one defeats 2024 winner 13-9 to set up potential clash with Mark Williams or Barry Hawkins

snooker world championship mark allen

Quick Look

Former world number one Mark Allen defeated defending champion Kyren Wilson 13-9 to reach the World Championship quarter-finals for the sixth time.
The 40-year-old Northern Irishman recovered from blowing a 5-0 lead to win four of the final six frames in Saturday's concluding session.
Allen will face either three-time champion Mark Williams or 2013 finalist Barry Hawkins, who holds a 10-6 lead in their last-16 match.

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Why It Matters

Mark Allen reached the World Championship semi-finals in 2009 and 2023, his best performances at the Crucible. This is his sixth quarter-final appearance. He faces either Barry Hawkins or Mark Williams next, with Hawkins holding a 10-6 lead in their last-16 match.

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Former world number one Mark Allen defeated Kyren Wilson 13-9 in a thrilling contest to reach the World Championship quarter-finals. Northern Ireland's Allen led 5-0 but then lost six successive frames to trail 6-5 against the 2024 winner. But Allen had moved into a 9-7 advantage by the end of Friday's middle session and managed to win four of the six frames on Saturday to reach the last eight for a sixth time. The 40-year-old's best performances at the Crucible came in 2009 and 2023 when he reached the semi-finals, and he will face either 2013 finalist Barry Hawkins or three-time world champion Mark Williams next. Hawkins holds a 10-6 advantage, with that match to be played to a finish from 19:00 BST on Saturday. Allen's quarter-final, another best-of-25-frame contest, will begin on Tuesday and finish on Wednesday. Saturday looked set to provide a thrilling day of action at the Crucible, as seven world champions featured among the 12 players involved, with seven-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan facing four-time champion John Higgins at 19:00 BST.