mark Allen โฃclaims English Open Title in Thrilling Decider
Home favorite Mark Allen โขsecured his seventh career ranking title, triumphingโ overโ Zhou Yuelong 9-8 inโค aโค captivating final at the 2023 Betfred English open in Brentwood, Essex.โ The victory โmarks Allen’s firstโ ranking title since the 2022 Champion of Championsโ adn solidifiesโค his position among snooker’s elite.
The grueling tournament saw โseveral โคupsets and featured a compelling run to the final for both players.Allen, seeded sixth, navigated a challenging โdraw,โฃ overcoming Ding Junhui and elliot Slessor en route to theโ title match.Zhou,โ unseeded, delivered notable performances, notably defeating Luca Brecel and โคMark Selby, showcasing his potential onโค theโ world stage. The โคwin โis โespecially significant for Allen as he admitted to not playing his best throughout the week, relyingโ on grit and determination to secure the trophy.
Allenโฃ acknowledged a less-than-stellar performance throughout the tournament,stating,”I didn’t play great allโฃ week,to be honest. I just managed to grind out results and โฃget over the line.” He emphasized his satisfaction with the win despite the struggles, โคadding,โข “It’sโ just nice to get over the line, especially when you’re not at your best.โ It’s a good โขsign.”
The final itself was a tense affair, with both players trading frames and momentum shifting frequently.Zhou led at several points,but Allen demonstratedโข resilience,ultimately edging โฃout his opponent in a dramatic final frame. The victory earns Allen ยฃ75,000 and 400 ranking points.
Earlier in โthe tournament, the Round of 32 saw notable results including Jackson Page defeating Neil Robertson 4-1 andโ Shaun โMurphy overcoming Fan Zhengyi 4-1. The Round ofโค 16 witnessed upsets as Judd Trumpโฃ fell to Elliot Slessor 4-3 and Ricky Walden lost to Jak Jones 4-3. The Quarter-Finals delivered โขfurther excitement with closeโ matches culminating in victories for Mark Selby, Zhou Yuelong, Mark Allen, and Jak Jones. Theโข Semi-Finals then saw Zhou Yuelong defeat Mark Selby 6-3 and Markโ Allenโฃ overcome Jak Jones 6-5 toโค set up theโ final showdown.