November 25th 2023.
Mark Allen was unable to defend his UK Championship title this year, as he fell at the first hurdle in York. In a thrilling match, he was edged out 6-5 by Ding Junhui, despite Allen playing pretty well and knocking in breaks of 67, 106, 60, 65 and 70 over the course of the game.
The Northern Irishman was in control of many of the frames, only to be let down by a missed red in the deciding frame. Allen expressed his disappointment in the loss, saying, “I felt like I was in complete control in so many frames and kept losing frames I was ahead in. On another day that match is over 6-1. If you don’t take your chances in this game it’ll come back to bite you, that’s what happens in this game.”
Ding, however, was battling through illness during the match. He told the BBC, “Every time he made a 50, 60, I had another chance, so just made the points I can. I didn’t put a lot of pressure on myself because I feel not so good. I was in the doctors and I take some tablets, it hasn’t quite worked yet. This morning I felt like I couldn’t stand, maybe I didn’t play today so I just tried to make it happen. I felt better before the match started.”
On the other table, Mark Williams became the first man into the last 16 with a 6-4 win over Fan Zhengyi. Though it wasn't a vintage performance from the three-time world champion, he improved in the second half of the match, with the three half-centuries he made coming in the final four frames. Williams has already won the British Open this season and is a contender for silverware over the coming days.
The UK Championship continues on Saturday night with Tom Ford or Noppon Saengkham playing Ding Junhui, and Kyren Wilson or Jamie Clarke taking on Mark Williams. It's sure to be an exciting week of snooker!
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