Mark Allen holds a 9-7 advantage over Kyren Wilson heading into the final session of their World Snooker Championship clash at the Crucible, as the former champion continues to battle cue tip problems.
Allen Celebrates Century Break with Sweets from Spectator
Mark Allen treated himself to a sweet from a spectator as he edged ahead of Kyren Wilson at the Crucible. The player who had been chewing at the tip of his cue the night before found himself under pressure from the former world number one.
Allen has established a 9-7 advantage going into the crucial final session of their World Championship encounter on Saturday morning. It follows another dramatic development in their gripping battle for a place in this year's quarter-finals.
The Northern Irishman initially dominated Wilson, storming through the opening five frames of Thursday evening's action in Sheffield.
The 2024 champion then won the final three to fight his way back into contention. Wilson followed that up by claiming the first three frames of Friday's second session to take the lead in the tie for the first time.
At that stage, the momentum seemed to be with Wilson. Allen, however, demonstrated his characteristic resilience and fought back to regain control.
Allen secured four of the final five frames during a vital Friday afternoon spell to restore his lead before Saturday's finale. There was a notable moment for him after a magnificent 140 break to win the 15th frame.
The Antrim ace walked back to his chair and happily received a few sweets handed to him by a spectator. Allen relished the treat, accompanied by his usual cup of warm water.
Wilson's Cue Tip Woes Continue
It had been Wilson's turn to do the biting the previous evening. He has been grappling with cue tip issues at the Crucible and acknowledged earlier in the week that he 'hated' his cue.
Wilson poked it into the floor before playfully pretending he was about to take a bite out of it. Snooker pundit Dominic Dale is optimistic he can sort out the problem once and for all.
He said: 'I can't help but wait for the season to finish for Kyren so that he can sort out the problems. He'd love to bite that tip off, but I'm sure it's the cue and the tip, a combination of both; I don't think he likes either.'
After his first-round win against Stan Moody, Wilson said: 'It's awful, just fighting with it, it's not right, it's never going to be right. It's the position I'm in, it's the World Championship, so I'll still give it my all. I can win with it, I've won the Masters, but I don't think I'll ever hit the potential that I'm capable of with it.'
