Allen, after the dramatic defeat with Higgins: “I got what I deserved!”. Who is his favorite for the world title?

“Right now I really think there’s no one mentally stronger than me right now. I’m not here to become world champion, I’m aiming for more world titles, I just want this to be the starting point,” said Mark Allen ahead of his Crucible debut last week.

After a first round in which he had no emotion with Robbie Williams, in front of last year’s semi-finalist appeared John Higgins, a 4-time world champion player who had reached at least the quarter-final stage at the Crucible 17 times. Despite the Scot’s CV, many saw the world No.3 as favourite, with his consistency in recent years a strong case for success against Higgins.

It wasn’t to be, with the Northern Irishman slipping through his fingers to win last night: despite starting the deciding session at 9-7 and 3 games ahead, Higgins somehow managed to stay in the match and level at 10, although his first two games as of last night they could very well end up in front of the nicknamed “The Pistol”.

Without a break of over 100 points in the match, the Scot hung on to every opportunity, although he missed a lot and failed to build consistent breaks. John came back from 11-10 and 12-11 down, but it looked like the chance had left him in the decider when Allen put a 62-point break on the table. However, he missed a shot with the support, but did not leave Higgins any pocket balls. Apparently, because the four-time world champion pulled off an all-or-nothing shot with the mantle, managing to close out an incredibly tough table where he had an impossible mission down to the last red ball on the table.

It ended 13-12 for the Scot, and Mark Allen admitted he made too many mistakes to deserve the win, while highlighting his opponent’s merits.

“I need to improve a few things in my game, but I had John in front of me, one of the greatest players of all time. I came here to win the tournament, so anything other than that would have been a disappointment. I didn’t take my chances today and I got what I deserved.

I wish John the best of luck for the rest of the tournament, I hope he can continue in the same vein. I told him at the end, I wish with all my heart that he would believe in him” Allen told Eurosport.

Allen: “There are very few people in the history of snooker who can close the table like Higgins did”

Asked about Higgins’ successful final break, Allen did not hide his admiration, conveying to the four-time world champion that as long as he is capable of such a table closing, he can dream of another Crucible title.

“There are very, very few people in the history of snooker who would have been able to close a table like John did. He has no reason not to believe in his chances going forward, he’s still one of the best in the world and I really want him to progress as far as possible in the tournament“, “The Pistol” also said.

As soon as he inserted that red cloaked ball, I knew John was going to clear the table. It’s what he does best. I’m disappointed, especially since I had great opportunities at the start of the decisive session and didn’t take them | Mark Allen.

Higgins therefore reaches the quarterfinals of the World Championship, after a game in which he did not shine, but in which he made a final break that erased all his pale evolution. In order to reach the semi-finals he will have to be much better, because in the last 8 Kyren Wilson, the finalist from 2020, awaits him. “The Warrior” is in turn a Crucible specialist, ticking off two other semi-finals and 3 quarter-finals and he is in excellent form (conceding only 7 frames in the two disputes in Sheffield: 10-1 with Dominic Dale and 13-6 with Joe O’Connor).

Higgins has the upper hand over Wilson, winning 8 of his last 10 head-to-head contests, but the Englishman currently looks the fitter player. It will be a thrilling battle, where it is almost impossible to predict who will win.

World Championship quarter-final schedule: