Mark Allen survives scare as other top 16 players fall at English Open

Mark Allen survived a scare successful his opening crippled astatine the English Open, edging retired Long Zehuang 4-3 though different apical 16 players are already connected their mode home.

The satellite fig 3 was looking good astatine 2-0 up connected the Chinese star, but mislaid the adjacent 3 with Long making breaks of 65, 67 and 69.

The Pistol took the lucifer to a decider and past scrapped it retired to get implicit the enactment and support his hopes of a archetypal rubric of the play alive, just.

‘I person to accidental I was precise impressed,’ Allen said of the satellite fig 71. ‘I’ve seen his results, didn’t cognize overmuch astir him, but helium bushed [Mark] Selby successful qualifying for 1 of the China events. Lost a precise adjacent lucifer to Gary Wilson, had a fewer bully wins elsewhere.

‘He played immoderate precise bully worldly successful that match, I didn’t consciousness similar I did overmuch incorrect from 2-0 up to the verge of going out.

‘It’s not similar he’s a kid. He’s inactive young astatine 27, 28, but where’s helium been if helium tin play to that benignant of level?

‘I felt similar I played alright, I didn’t people arsenic dense arsenic I’d similar to, but successful wide my crippled was good.’

That triumph books Allen a spot successful the past 32 against Lyu Haotian, though Gary Wilson and Tom Ford volition not beryllium successful Brentwood astatine that signifier aft defeats connected Tuesday.

Wilson was downed 4-3 by Ross Muir connected Tuesday morning, portion Ford was beaten 4-2 by Jiang Jun.

It’s been a beauteous dilatory commencement to the play for Wilson, but not arsenic troubling arsenic Ford’s opening to the campaign, with the Leicester antheral truly struggling.

The 41-year-old had to propulsion retired of his Championship League radical close astatine the commencement of the season, citing an ankle problem, and since past has won conscionable 1 match.

He volition person the accidental to amended that grounds adjacent week astatine the British Open erstwhile helium takes connected Gong Chenzhi successful his opening contest.

World fig 15 Jak Jones is the different apical 16 subordinate to beryllium retired already, losing to India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha 4-3 connected Monday, portion satellite fig 9 Ding Junhui did not enter.

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