The Antrim man looked in pole position to reach the Crucible final, but missed a black off the spot to win
A ‘devastated’ Mark Allen suffered Crucible heartbreak as he lost a final frame shootout in the World Championship semi-final.
The Antrim man looked in pole position to reach the world final for the first time after taking a 16-14 lead in the first to 17 clash against Wu Yize.
He potted the final pink in the penultimate frame of the night and set up a straight black ball on the spot to claim victory. However, the tension and pressure of the occasion appeared to get to Allen who narrowly missed and gifted his Chinese opponent the frame.
Yize then took advantage in the deciding 33rd frame of the match to book a final date with England’s Shaun Murphy – Crucible champion in 2005.
For Allen, it’s another world final near miss – his third semi-final defeat at the Crucible – and that black on the spot will haunt him for some time.
“You don’t deserve to be in a world final if you are missing a ball like that, it’s just pure pressure,” said Allen right after the match. “I had two or three good chances to close out the match but didn’t do it.
“Even though I’m devastated to lose that match, I think the right person is in the world final. I wished him good luck, said he played very well. I think he’s going to be a world champion.
“All credit to Wu, if he doesn’t win it this time, he is going to win world titles in future. It’s a sore one for me.”
Yize, 22, will appear in his first world final tomorrow, looking to emulate country man Zhao Xintong who became the first Chinese player to win snooker’s biggest prize 12 months ago.
Even he had sympathy for Allen, considering the nature of the semi-final victory.
Yize told BBC: “I feel sorry for Mark. I was losing the match but I was able to catch the opportunity.”
The final is played over two days, starting on Sunday May 2nd and ending on Monday.
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