Snooker stars Mark Selby and Mark Allen have offered mutual praise and analysis of each other's games ahead of their highly anticipated Players Championship quarter-final clash on Friday night. The two elite competitors will face off in Telford, continuing a personal rivalry where Allen surprisingly holds the upper hand.
A Rivalry Defying Selby's Dominance
Four-time world champion Mark Selby boasts winning records against the vast majority of players he has encountered throughout his illustrious career. However, Northern Ireland's Mark Allen represents a notable exception to this pattern. Across all competitions, Allen leads their head-to-head rivalry 15-13, including victories in their last two encounters.
The most recent meeting saw Allen triumph in the quarter-finals of the Masters last year. This statistical advantage doesn't surprise Allen, who believes he elevates his performance when facing the sport's very best competitors.
Mutual Respect Between Elite Competitors
Mark Allen's perspective: "I think there's probably not many of the top players that I don't have a decent record against," Allen remarked. "I think it just brings the best out in you because you know what you're going to get. Mark's very, very rarely less than 80 percent. You know you have to go out and match him in all departments."
Allen continued with respectful analysis: "I don't want to say we have similar games because Mark's one of the all-time greats – he's won a hell of a lot more than I have – but I think we pride ourselves on never giving up, coming from behind, winning ugly, but we can play some really good snooker too that sometimes goes under the radar."
The Northern Irishman emphasized the value of these encounters: "It's just a match I always look forward to playing and it just tests every part of your game, so it always tells me where I'm at."
Selby's Assessment of His Opponent
Mark Selby's analysis: The Englishman, who secured his quarter-final spot with a 6-3 victory over Jack Lisowski, sees significant parallels between his own game and Allen's approach. "He's just very similar to myself. Doesn't give in, very good all-round game, scores well," Selby observed. "His defensive play is very, very good. Just a very, very tough match-player. So I'm expecting a tough game."
Selby highlighted the consistent intensity of their meetings: "Every time we play each other, it's always quite a decent match and it's always a tough game. Neither of us give an inch and I'm sure that will be the same when we play each other on Friday night."
Evolution of Allen's Game
While Allen leads their overall rivalry, Selby has claimed victory in both of their Crucible encounters, most recently in the 2023 World Championship semi-finals. Around that period, Allen had developed a more measured, circumspect approach to his game, taking additional time over shots and exercising greater selectivity in his shot-making.
The former UK and Masters champion has recently indicated intentions to rediscover some of his earlier attacking flair while maintaining his evolved strategic discipline. Selby believes this development has made Allen an even more formidable opponent.
The Complete Player Emerges
When asked which version of Allen he would prefer to face – the aggressive attacker or the strategic match-player – Selby responded: "Neither, to be honest. Obviously, he's just a tough player. I've played him so many times and I've played him years ago when he was really, really attacking. Then I've played him since when he's got the good match-play."
Selby elaborated on Allen's evolution: "I think he's probably harder to beat now than many years ago because he's got that all-round game. I think he's probably looked at the sport and thought, you know what, to try and get to the top you need the all-round game. You can't just be all out attacking and expect that to happen."
The Leicester player acknowledged Allen's sustained excellence: "So, he's worked on his game and obviously he's been at the top of the game for years now. He's definitely doing something right."
Friday Night Showdown
The quarter-final clash between Selby and Allen represents the last of the Players Championship quarter-finals, scheduled for 7pm on Friday in Telford. Both players advanced with identical 6-3 victories – Selby over Jack Lisowski and Allen against Wu Yize.
The remaining competitors will battle for the tournament's £150,000 top prize, with this particular matchup promising to deliver the intense, high-quality snooker that has characterized previous encounters between these two determined champions.
