English Open evening session recap - Mark Allen pips John Higgins after Scot seals 1000th century
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By Dan Quarrell
Updated 19/09/2024 at 22:47 GMT+1
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Relive Eurosport's live coverage of the English Open. We're at the last-16 stage and we had some big matches to enjoy this evening. Earlier, former world champion Mark Selby defeated Si Jiahui in the deciding frame, while defending champion Judd Trump was also victorious against Fan Zhengyi. In the evening, Mark Allen edged out John Higgins, who scored his 1000th century.
'Tremendous pot!' - Trump escapes safety by firing in long red
Video credit: TNT Sports
that's us done for the night
Join us again tomorrow for the last eight!
ON TABLE TWO
Chris Wakelin 1-3 Pang Junxu
MARK ALLEN BEATS JOHN HIGGINS 4-3
What a great match that was. John can console himself with his thousandth hundred; Mark moves into the last eight.
ALLEN 3-3 HIGGINS (57-24)
Mark lays a snooker, John taps the table; John escapes snooker, Mark taps the table. And then smokes home the last red, adds the green, and this is over!
ALLEN 3-3 HIGGINS (51-24)
The brown is close to the baulk cushion, but everythig else is now pottable. It's not an easy clear... AND JOHN MISSES A SIMPLE PINK! He's stretching a little but it's a bad miss and Mark, who'll have been fearing the worst, again, is up quickly to try and finish this. A poor black, though, means a nasty red, which he can't get down long to the yellow; there's plenty in this yet, and why shouldn't there be. Lovely stuff.
ALLEN 3-3 HIGGINS (43-21)
He rolls a blue across the nap to the middle, that's ridiculous – the stones to take it on, the skill to pull it off. The blue soon disappears again, this time with the rest to the green, he's on a red that liberates the pink, another red for good measure, and this is ridiculous behaviour.
ALLEN 3-3 HIGGINS (43-9)
Nope, he gets to close to a red that means the ref is over his shoulder checking he doesn't touch it with his cue, and he misses his pot. So John cleans it up, adds a black and a red, and surely he's not going to john him again?
ALLEN 3-3 HIGGINS (43-0)
The players share a chuckle about the state of their table, then Mark prods a plant, the first ball potted in over half an hour. Pink to middle follows, and maybe, jusy maybe, he can cobble together something definitive here, given his pre-existing lead.
ALLEN 3-3 HIGGINS (27-0)
What a match this is. The reds are now largely down the left side of the table – all but one – and we're going to be here a while because I don't think there's a sizable break on the table. John tries cutting one into left corner, but no joy.
ALLEN 3-3 HIGGINS (27-0)
John gets close having at one to middle ... and again avoids leaving anything. The longest decider is two hours five minutes, Dave Gilbert v Fergal O'Brien in the last round of Crucible qualifiyng, so this has a long way to go, and the reds are more open now.
ALLEN 3-3 HIGGINS (27-0)
John attacks a long one and doesn't get that close, but leaves nothing Mark fancies; he then gets lucky missing again, a double-kiss sending all the reds back together again. It's 15 minutes since someone potted a ball and this isn't nearly finished.
ALLEN 3-3 HIGGINS (27-0)
Barry Hawkins and Kyren Wilson are still waiting to get going, and there's a way to go in this frame yet. Eeeexxxxcellent.
ALLEN 3-3 HIGGINS (27-0)
He's soon back at the table, though, punching home a decent starter but again finding position difficult. And goodness me, he somehow cannons the yellow going around the angles off the blue ... snookering himself for extra hilarity. We're back playing safety.
ALLEN 3-3 HIGGINS (21-0)
A handshake and off we go, Mark left one off the break that he rolls to right-middle. He doesn't, though, get the pace right, so that's end of break. No matter: his safety-shot is better than John's, so he's able to get away, quickly pocketing reds to liberate the black. He knows he's missed a few chances to win this already, and this is another because he's somehow sent the white down not up the table ramming home a blue, meaning end of break.
ON TABLE TWO
Chris Wakelin 0-1 Pang Junxu
ALLEN 3-3 HIGGINS
Even I want a decider, and I'm working.
ALLEN 3-2 HIGGINS (37-67)
Mark knows he's playing well and though he'll know he should have finished this match time ago, he also knows John Higgins; it won't affect how he plays the decider, and there is going to be one! We'd've took it!
ALLEN 3-2 HIGGINS (37-62)
A black, the last red, the pink. John will need yellow to leave Mark needing a snooker.
ALLEN 3-2 HIGGINS (37-32)
Not at this visit. He undercuts a red to right corner ... but he's got a dart at a because Mark misses to the same bag. He clobbers it down, but the angle on the black, from near the side, is taking him away from the ball he'll need next. He makes sure to make the pot ... only to miss the next red, a tough cut to the corner. But Mark misses a tricky starter ... then John does not! Black follows, just, and John is going to john him again!
ALLEN 3-2 HIGGINS (37-8)
Mark is pretty solid under pressure but anyone can play a poor shot ... and here are two in a row, one to cannon the blue and one to miss it into the yellow. Is John going to john him once again?
ALLEN 3-2 HIGGINS (18-0)
John misses his thin contact on the way up, catches it on the way down, and leaves it to middle; Mark who needs to forget he should be through by now, gets in, plays two fine recovery pots on black and second red, to get get back in prime position. He can seal f&m at this visit.
ON TABLE TWO
Neil Robertson 4-1 Ross Muir
ALLEN 3-2 HIGGINS
The crowd go wild and they've every right to go wild. John Higgins is one of the greatest players we've ever seen and one of the greatest competitors any sport has ever seen.
ALLEN 3-1 HIGGINS (20-84)
Black to right corner and it's his! Come on John!
ALLEN 3-1 HIGGINS (20-84)
John Higgins, man. More balls disappear, and is this the thousandth century coming up?
ALLEN 3-1 HIGGINS (20-78)
It's actually funny watching this. How many times have we seen John serve this dish? He sinks a black, is right behind the penultimate red ... and jabs it along the top cushion and down. Then it's black and up to baulk, and for a second it looks like the broon is blocking his route to the next ball, but it's not; what a shot!
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'What a pot!' - Allen knocks in briliant red across the table
Video credit: TNT Sports
ALLEN 3-1 HIGGINS (20-38)
A banging red to middle keeps John going and there's every chance he narrows the gap at this visit. Never give a genius an even break.
ALLEN 3-1 HIGGINS (20-5)
Mark espies a double ... and pokes one from beneath the black against the right cushion ... and into the left! It's a gorgeous effort and, given where the balls are, this could be curtains ... but what is that?! Cutting blue to middle, Mark clips a red that'smore in the way than he thought it was! So John gets in, lands stuck to a red ... and jabs down to bag a fine black. He needs ti make plenty here.
ALLEN 3-1 HIGGINS (11-4)
Mark gets in but a mishit black means pot, no position. No matter: he drills a beauty into right corner, only to soon overrun off the yellow and into the pack. So we're back playing safety.
ON TABLE TWO
Neil Robertson 3-1 Ross Muir
ALLEN 3-1 HIGGINS
Mark makes hard work of it, but gets there in the end.
ALLEN 2-1 HIGGINS (50-45)
Now it's Mark in a snooker and he misses with his escape twice, but the second go leaves yellow to middle so after a think he pots it. And whgen the green disappears, Mark will be fearing the worst, the brown available via double. This time, though, John can't send it doon and Mark drains it to the corner; the frame surely now his.
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'Terrific stuff' - Higgins gets going with century break
Video credit: TNT Sports
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'Goodness me!' - Higgins makes 'absolutely humongous' fluke
Video credit: TNT Sports
ALLEN 2-1 HIGGINS (50-32)
Looking to go down the rail into the yellow bag, John hits the jaws, so Mark takes a red the eschews the opportunity to pot or snooker, knocking the brown safe instead. But, well, Mark Allen, that is filth. He gets outside a red that's near the left cushion, sending it into the green pocket, and the frame is nearly his – all the more so when, after playing safe, he lays a lovely snooker, white on top rail, pink blue and green between it and yellow; John escapes but leaves Mark a chance to lay another that somehow he bodges. This frame doesn't feel nearly over.
ALLEN 2-1 HIGGINS (48-25)
Nope, Mark runs out of position then almost goes in-off, white left instead against the knuckle of right corner. Without many options, John goes at one to the middle and misses, El Pistolero unable to capitalise, missing to the green. This is getting tense now, but left one over the middle, the Wiz sends it down but the state of the table now means he's thinking to do.
ALLEN 2-1 HIGGINS (33-25)
John looks in control but then faced with one from left side to right corner, he deploys the rest but can't send the bal down. That's going to cost him, most probably the frame.
ALLEN 2-1 HIGGINS (25-18)
Oh yes John! He slots an opener and develops the black, on it immediately, and suddenly the table looks much more inviting.
ALLEN 2-1 HIGGINS (25-1)
Mark wobbles blue into the yellow but he's not finding this run easy. And eventually it cathces up with him, another blue hitting the middle jaw. So John comes to the table with a starter there for him, but with pink and black still out of commmission.
ALLEN 2-1 HIGGINS (6-1)
John goes hard at one to right corner, misses it by a way ... and the red hits the bottom rail, meeting the white on the way back up. The kiss, and shonuff the object-ball disappears inrto right-middle. That is up there with Kyren Wilson's fluke yesterday, but he can't make it count, missing the yellow, and now Mark is at the table potting balls.
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'Goodness me' - Wilson sinks insane fluke against McGill
Video credit: TNT Sports
ON TABLE TWO
Neil Robertson 2-1 Ross Muir
ALLEN 2-1 HIGGINS
No total clearance, but a lovely 108 in a frame he couldn't afford to lose will certainly do Back to tons, Ronnie has 1272 and earlier today, Judd made 998, while Neil is on 948 so might reach four figures tihs season.
ALLEN 2-0 HIGGINS (0-100)
Frame safe, John is ton-hunting. I can't remember how many he's got total but think he's on the cusp of a thousand ... oh and indeed this, just made, is 999. What a player!
ALLEN 2-0 HIGGINS (0-53)
We might just be at that fabled, almost mythical stage, at which both players are playing well.
ALLEN 2-0 HIGGINS (0-15)
I nip to the conveniences and return to see John nicely ensconced at the table, balls almost all there for him.
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Allen makes 'opening statement' with century in first frame against Higgins
Video credit: TNT Sports
ON TABLE TWO
Neil Robertson 2-0 Ross Muir
ALLEN 2-0 HIGGINS
When Mark plays the snooker next, John doesn't get out of his seat. He's doing OK, but ultimately he's facing a better player playing well.
ALLEN 1-0 HIGGINS (55-20)
John bins the first two reds and here comes the last one, parallel with the top cushion ... and he jawses it! I didn't see him missing that, but he's back in the frame and if he sinks the next ball, he's a really good chance. Problem being he again misses a chance, Mark slots it home, and that, surely, is that.
ALLEN 1-0 HIGGINS (54-4)
Gosh, out of nowhere Mark misses a yellow, but given one of the three remaning reds is stuck to the black and another is on black cush, it'll take something major for him to serve another dish. He needs everything left, reds with blacks, to take the frame by a point.
ALLEN 1-0 HIGGINS (48-0)
A poor shot on a red means a harder pink than was necessary, cut towards left corner, and Mark can't see it away. But when John misses to right corner, he resignedly sits down in full knowledge that the frame is over.
ALLEN 1-0 HIGGINS (28-0)
Left one to left-centre, Mark gets away, and the way he's playing you fully expect this to be 2-0, given so many potable reds.
ALLEN 1-0 HIGGINS (15-0)
Mark slides to right-middle then works his way up the table off the green. But just as he's looking settled, he botches a red with the rest to left corner then finds himself again behind the yellow, nothing at which to go.
ON TABLE TWO
Neil Robertson 1-0 Ross Muir
ALLEN 1-0 HIGGINS
A run of 100, a table cleared, and John will know he's got his work cut out here.
ALLEN 0-0 HIGGINS (61-28)
Fouldsy reckons the table's playing fine, but the balls are struggling to open themselves – which is why John couldn't develop that first chance into anything worth having. Mark, though, is rolling.
ALLEN 0-0 HIGGINS (32-28)
Yup, Mark is so confident at the moment, methodically picking through the balls with no sense that he might miss. He'll need a few nudges to liberate the remaining reds, all clustered, but this is very nice stuff.
ALLEN 0-0 HIGGINS (4-28)
Left behind the yellow, Mark goes off the side and misses his red of choice, then again by fractions before hitting third go; shot. But it's John who sinks the next red, and John who again can't craft it into something telling. So Mark knocks in an opener and I'd expect him to do better.
ALLEN 0-0 HIGGINS (0-15)
John, of course, is desperate to stay in the top 16 having been a member, uninterrupted, since 1995. A win tonight will go a long way towards sustaining him, but defeat leaves him vulnerable. Anyroad, he's always loved a middle pocket and gets away in that fashion before proceeding to the black only to soon break the pack and have the white embed in the middle of it; end of break.
OUR BOYZ BAIZE
And off we go.
THAT SAID
John final-framed Mark at the Cruce with a vintage clearance, which is to say he's still got it – just not as often.
MARK ALLEN
The Pistol played beautifully last evening after losing a frame he shouldn't have to go 2-1 down; if he's close to that level again, I don't think 2024 John can live with him.
HELLO THERe
We'll begin the evening focusing on Allen v Higgins then, when they're done, we'll move on to Hawkins v Wilson. We're running a bit late because of how long our daytime matches ran, but should be away soon.
This evening's schedule
Mark Allen [3] v John Higgins [14]
Neil Robertson [26] v Ross Muir [74]
Chris Wakelin [22] v Pang Junxu [27]
Barry Hawkins [15] v Kyren Wilson [2]
Selby on the challenging conditions
A lot of players have spoken on the difficulty of the conditions with the warmer temperatures potentially making the tables heavier to play on.
After his win, Mark Selby said: "The conditions were tough more than anything else, anything over distance where you've got to try and float it or put a stroke on it, everything was like a hit.
"I don't feel like I play like that most of the time so it was tough you know. It's the same for everyone but I know a lot of people having been saying about it."
- - -
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