Allen to face Zhou in English Open Snooker Final After Dramatic Comebacks
Leicester, England – Mark allen and Zhou Yuelong will contest the final of the english Open snooker tournament after both players secured hard-fought victories in their respective semi-final matches. Allen overcame Jak Jones in a decider, while Zhou dispatched tournament favorite Mark Selby 6-3.
Allen trailed 3-1 at the mid-session interval against Jones but rallied with breaks of 102 and 62 to level the match at 3-3. Jones responded by winning two frames consecutively,moving within one frame of the final at 5-3. However, Allen then produced a remarkable run, claiming three frames in a row with breaks of 68, 67, and 82 to secure a 6-5 victory.
“It was a strange game, because even though I was 1-3 behind at the break, I didn’t actually do much wrong,” allen saeid after the match. “I even joke to Chris Henry that I was in a great position for the mid-session break – after all, I won a frame this time!” He added, “I scored much better in the second half. That was my best game this week. Of course I have to get again in the final, because Zhou plays really strong at the moment.”
Zhou’s victory over selby was equally notable. He built a 3-0 lead in the afternoon session, with Selby managing to win only one frame before the break after a lengthy 59-minute battle and a difficult black ball clearance of 71.Zhou extended his advantage to 4-1 after the interval,and despite selby winning the sixth frame,Zhou secured the match 6-3 with a decisive 60 clearance.
“This is a huge boost for my self-confidence. I was in no final for three years and played vrey bad last season,” zhou stated.A win would mark his first ranking title on the Main Tour. he previously lost to Allen in the final of the Northern Ireland Open.
The final will be a best-of-17 frame match, with the winner receiving £100,000 in prize money and valuable world ranking points. Currently ranked 32nd,Zhou will have the prospect to avenge his previous loss to Allen.
