World Snooker Championship: Mark Allen qualifies first for the semi-finals | snooker

Mark Allen is a semi-finalist at the World Snooker Championship. The world number three defeated Jack Jones, who made his World Cup debut, after an exciting duel: 13-10.

The final frame turned into a long tactical duel, with Allen finally keeping nerves in check. This is Allen’s first semi-final since 2009.

In the other quarter-final between Anthony McGill and tournament inspiration Si Jiahui, the score was 8-8 after two sessions. Mark Selby and John Higgins balanced each other out in the opening session of yesterday’s world champions match: 4-4. They come to work tonight.

Luca Brecel will play his closing session against Ronnie O’Sullivan at 3.30pm. Brecel needs a small miracle to overcome a 10-6 deficit.

The other quarter-finalists also entered action for the first time today.

In contrast to the match between Luca Bresel and Ronnie O’Sullivan, there is no separation yet: in the other three quarter-finals it is always 0-0 after the first session.

For them, work is over for the day, and they will continue to play on Wednesday. Tonight O’Sullivan and Pressel are in again, Mark Allen and Jack Jones.

World No. 2 Mark Selby put his cue between the wheels of Gary Wilson in The Crucible. The four-time world champion saw Wilson go up to 6-6, but then only allowed his opponent one more frame: 7-13.

Selby will have to do better than his century against Wilson in the quarter-finals, because he will be up against another four-time world champion: John Higgins, who beat Kyren Wilson 2-13 (and 4 centuries).

Chinese sensation Si Jiahui continues to impress at the World Snooker Championships. After Shaun Murphy, the 20-year-old eliminated Robert Milkins en route to the quarter-finals at The Crucible.

In 2021, the Chinese youngster was criticized for being allowed to participate in the UK Championship as an amateur, but at the World Cup he is now showing that he has more than his place among the professionals. Milkins had to wear a scarf to avoid catching a cold as C blew his opponent away in Sheffield. He won 10 of the first 13 shots.

He started the final session with an 11-5 margin. In a tense start, Milkins seemed to be back for a while, but the freshman finished 13-7. After a handsome century he was allowed to put his hands in the air. Si Jiahui is the youngest quarter-finalist in 25 years.

John Higgins easily qualified for the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Scotsman Kyren Wilson was not spared in the second round.

Wilson has shown good things so far, because the Englishman made 147 pocket breaks in the first round. But against Higgins he was not involved, Wilson could barely win two frames.

Four-time world champion Higgins also briefly looked his way to the full break in the fifteenth frame, but was unlucky when a red ball landed in the pocket. However, the Scot can look forward to the quarter-finals with confidence. In it he meets Gary Wilson or Mark Selby.

Ronnie O’Sullivan eased into the quarter-finals of the Snooker World Cup on Saturday. The seven-time world champion did not have any children in the second round against Iran’s Hossein Vafaei, who lost 13-2.

Much has been written and said about O’Sullivan’s duel with Vafaei, who has not been on the best of terms since the Iranian suggested last year that the Englishman should retire.

The two have been at odds since O’Sullivan played disrespectfully at the German Masters, according to Vafay. The missile then rammed open balls at the beginning of frame, something Vafaei repeated as a statement yesterday in frame two.

But it soon became clear that the Iranian would bite the dust in the mind game with O’Sullivan. The defending champion came out very sharply and gave Vafaei little crumbs yesterday and today.

Vafay had to watch as O’Sullivan dominated the match and also pocketed the 1,200th century of his career on his way to a 13-2 victory. Then, the hatchet seemed to be buried, as O’Sullivan and Vafaei fell into each other’s arms laughing.

O’Sullivan is on the trot to the quarter-finals, where the Englishman will compete against Luca Bressel. That match will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Luca Bressel became the first player from the European mainland to qualify for the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship. He saw our compatriot Mark Williams make up for a three-tire deficit in the last session, but he made an excellent recovery.

In the decisive 23rd frame, Brecel carefully built a winning break. Then he finished it off with a dominant match: 13-11. In the quarterfinals he will meet the winner of the duel between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Hossein Vafaei.

After three frames in a row, Brecel was back on the scoreboard. Our compatriot built a break very carefully and did not make any mistakes. 12-11, Brecel is one frame from the World Cup quarter-finals.