Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ALLEN PUTS THE ROCKET IN HIS POCKET
DEFENDING champion Ronnie O’sullivan saw his Masters title hopes emphatically extinguished by Antrim man Mark Allen.
The Rocket crashed to a shock 6-1 quarter-final loss at London’s Alexandra Palace yesterday.
And with defeat, O’sullivan missed out on a third consecutive crown and saw his hopes of a record eighth Masters title evaporate.
“It was a tough match for me, I’m glad it’s over,” he admitted.
“Mark deserved his win, I didn’t give him much trouble.
“It was a fantastic performance from him.
“I’m struggling with a virus or something, I gave it a go and I wasn’t good enough.
“But I’m not making excuses even though I was probably operating on about 60 per cent.”
O’sullivan, who blitzed Hong Kong’s Marco Fu 6-0 in double quick time in the first round, started in fine style with a 75 break to take the opening frame.
But Allen responded in stunning fashion by pocketing breaks of 65, 115, 85 and 81 to move within one frame of a famous win.
And victory was achieved in the next frame as the Antrim potter – twice a Masters semi-finalist – sent O’sullivan crashing out.
“I was really up for that, it’s a great win for me,” said Allen, who moved a step closer the £200,000 first prize.
“I was a bit twitchy at the end, but any win against Ronnie is great because he’s the benchmark in our sport.
“In the end I fell over the line, but I’ll take that against Ronnie any time of the week.
“That was the ultimate test for me and I’ve put him under pressure. I felt in control.
“I find that I play more aggressive against him because he doesn’t given you many chances.
“I’ve had a good match but I’ve still got two really tough matches ahead of me if I’m going to stand any chance of winning the tournament.
“If I lose in the next round then this win will be worth nothing.
“But I’m still in and if I can play like that again I’ve got a great chance.”
Next up for Allen is a semi-final showdown with either Scotland’s John Higgins or Welshman Ryan Day tomorrow afternoon.
Two-time Masters champion Higgins (inset) fought back from 4-2 down to beat compatriot Anthony Mcgill 6-4 in their first round clash, while Day came back from 3-0 to beat former Masters winner Ding Junhui 6-4.
“I’ve come here to win the tournament regardless of who I have to play,” said Allen.
“I’ve said for months now that my game is in good shape, but you have to keep that consistency up for the whole tournament if you want to be winning major titles.”