World number three Mark Allen dug deep to score a 6-4 win over Welsh qualifier Jackson Page and make the last 16 of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship in York.
The Northern Irishman has fond memories of the Barbican, having been runner-up here in 2011 and 2018, before lifting the famous trophy in 2022. Allen faced Ding Junhui in the final two years ago and prevailed 10-7, despite trailing 6-1 at one stage.
He ended last season by becoming world number one for the first time in his career. However, that feat was short-lived and he has been overhauled by Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson to currently find himself ranked as world number three.
So far this term 11-time ranking event winner Allen hasn’t quite hit his usual lofty heights. After today’s game he admitted to being downbeat about his form, but he has kept his hopes alive and will now be able to look ahead to a last 16 meeting with either Wu Yize or Si Jiahui.
The first six frames of this afternoon’s match, which proved to be a fragmented encounter, were shared to leave Allen and Page locked together at 3-3.
Allen earned 40 points in fouls in the seventh, which he took after 34 minutes of play to lead 4-3. Breaks of 35 and 45 then helped Allen to move one from victory at 5-3.
A dramatic ninth swung both ways, before Page cleared the colours to steal on the black and make it 5-4. Page had opportunities to force a final frame but couldn’t take them. Eventually Allen deposited clutch shots on the green and brown to allow him to clear to the black and emerge victorious.
Allen said: “I’m not in a good place with my game. I’m just struggling with my snooker. It is probably in my nature, I always give 100 percent on every shot and nothing is coming easy to me at the moment.
“It is frustrating because I’m still doing the things which got me to world number one and I’m working hard. It isn’t coming very easy at the moment.
“I’m hoping one performance can turn it all around. I just feel I’m a million miles away from that performance. I think my experience got me the result today. I turned down a few balls that I didn’t fancy. That got me the win by waiting for that better opportunity. Jackson is a brilliant talent but he isn’t that experienced on the biggest stage so I just thought I would take advantage of that.”
On the other table, Ali Carter battled to a 6-4 win over Ryan Day to set up a last 16 clash with either Mark Selby or Jack Lisowski.
Victory for world number 12 Carter keeps alive his hopes of qualifying for the lucractive Riyadh Season Snooker Championship. Only the top ten in the Johnstone's Paint World Rankings at the end of this tournament will earn a place in Saudi Arabia next month.
Incredibly, today's victory sees Carter make it into the last 16 of this tournament for the first time since a run to the semi-finals in 2012. He crafted runs of 75, 63 and 99 in the victory.
Carter said: "I've had some good times here but mostly terrible. I was 8-4 up in the semi-finals against Shaun Murphy and lost 9-8. That went wrong. I haven't had much success since then. It is sweet to get through today and know that I'm coming back later on in the week.
"A good run would do everything for my confidence. Wins have been hard to come by and I had to work for that there. I'm delighted to get through."