CHAMPION ALLEN’S EARLY EXIT
MARK ALLEN crashed out at the first hurdle in the defence of his Dafabet Masters title yesterday, losing to Luca Brecel in a tense final-frame decider at Alexandra Palace. The Northern Irishman, 32, made a career breakthrough a year ago when he beat Kyren Wilson 10-7 in the final to claim his first Triple Crown trophy. But his bid for a repeat showing this year was over almost before it had begun as Brecel avenged his 6-3 defeat by Allen on his Masters debut last year to triumph 6-5. Allen said: ‘I felt like I had him in trouble in the final frame, but that was the story of the match. ‘I don’t feel I did much wrong. You get punished highly at this level and Luca has proved he is a top-16 player. He played really good stuff.’ Belgium’s Brecel, 23, racked up four halfcentury breaks and a superb 140 in the win. He said: ‘It was so tough to get over the line in the last frame, but I managed to play a few safeties and Mark made a mistake. ‘Last year, I was always doing the right things but maybe not trying hard enough. ‘This year, I said to my girlfriend and my parents that 2019 was going to be a new mindset, dedicated, just snooker and nothing else. It’s working and I’ve have been playing well the past few months.’