Mark Allen has pinpointed a key area of improvement in his Crucible campaign, believing he has finally addressed a long-standing weakness that has plagued his World Championship performances. The Northern Irishman, known as The Pistol, has been a consistent force on the snooker circuit since his breakthrough season in 2008/09, when he reached the semi-finals of the World Championship. He followed that with back-to-back quarter-finals, establishing himself as a potential Crucible champion.
A Decade of Disappointment at the Crucible
However, since his last quarter-final appearance in 2011, Allen has managed only one semi-final and one quarter-final in 12 attempts, with early exits in the first or second rounds becoming a recurring theme. Despite this, he has enjoyed significant success elsewhere, winning the UK Championship and the Masters, accumulating 12 ranking event titles, and reaching the world number one spot. This stark contrast has made his poor run in Sheffield over the past 15 years particularly puzzling.
Now, with a semi-final run in 2023 and a current quarter-final against Barry Hawkins in 2026, the 40-year-old appears to be solving the Crucible puzzle. After a second-round victory over Kyren Wilson, Allen shared his insights on how he is learning to handle his Sheffield campaigns more effectively.
Learning from Bad Sessions
“I don’t think you can ever work this place out, to be honest,” Allen said. “But I think it’s trying to get the most out of your bad sessions. In particular the Zhang Anda match [in round one], for me to get out of that first session only 5-3 down, that’s probably a session a few years back I’d have lost 7-1 and then you’re out of the match. Even Kyren, the 4-4 session in the middle, that’s probably a session I could have lost 6-2 before and you’re up against it. It’s just getting the most out of your bad sessions. I’ve always thought you need to come here and play really, really good stuff, and it would be nice to do that, but it’s just about limiting the damage when you’re not at your best. I think that’s something I’ve got better at, but there’s still room for improvement on that too.”
Golden Opportunity in 2026
Allen now sees this year as a fabulous chance to reach his first Crucible final, especially after a dramatic Monday in Sheffield saw several big names eliminated. Former champions Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, and Judd Trump were all knocked out in the second round. The winner of the Allen vs. Hawkins match is guaranteed to face a first-time semi-finalist, either Wu Yize or Hossein Vafaei, after Wu defeated Selby and Vafaei stunned Trump 13-12. In the top half of the draw, only world champions remain: Zhao Xintong plays Shaun Murphy, and John Higgins, fresh off his epic win over O’Sullivan, meets Neil Robertson.
