Mark Allen earns joint-highest payday of profession with victory at Riyadh Season Snooker Championship; Northern Irishman earns £250,000 for beating Luca Brecel in ultimate; Allen defeats Ronnie O’Sullivan in semi-finals to go away ‘Rocket’ nonetheless ready for first title of 2024/25
Final Up to date: 21/12/24 12:09am
Mark Allen gained the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship
Mark Allen gained his first title of 2024/25 with victory on the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, beating Ronnie O’Sullivan within the semi-finals earlier than seeing off Luca Brecel to assert the £250,000 prime prize.
Allen’s finest outcomes this marketing campaign earlier than his success in Saudi Arabia have been reaching the semi-finals of the British Open, UK Championship, Scottish Open and Champion of Champions.
The Northern Irishman defeated four-time world champion Mark Selby 4-2 within the quarter-finals in Riyadh and returned a day later to see off seven-time Crucible king O’Sullivan by the identical rating.
He then thumped 2023 world champion Brecel 5-1 within the ultimate after shedding the primary body, firing in two centuries and a break of fifty as he earned the joint-highest payday of his profession.
Allen had additionally gained £250,000 following victory on the UK Championship in York in 2022.
Golden ball stays unpotted all through the match
No participant on the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship managed to pot the golden ball and earn $1m for a 167 break, which is exclusive to the occasion in Saudi Arabia.
Gamers can solely sink the golden ball after finishing a regulation 147 break however the closest to a most was China’s Zhang Anda, who broke down after 12 reds and blacks on day one.
Champion Allen will now purpose to win The Masters at Alexandra Palace for a second time in January having beforehand taken that title in 2018, defeating Kyren Wilson within the ultimate.
O’Sullivan is the defending Masters champion, beating Ali Carter 10-7 in 2024, however is but to make it previous the semi-finals of a match this season.
Masters Snooker 2025 schedule
Match runs from January 12-19 at Alexandra Palace, London
Spherical One (better of 11 frames)
Sunday January 12
1pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs John Higgins
7pm
Shaun Murphy vs Gary Wilson
Monday January 13
1pm
Mark Williams vs Ding Junhui
7pm
Mark Selby vs Ali Carter
Tuesday January 14
1pm
Judd Trump vs Barry Hawkins
7pm
Mark Allen vs Si Jiahui
Wednesday January 15
1pm
Kyren Wilson vs Zhang Anda
7pm
Luca Brecel vs Chris Wakelin
Quarter-finals (better of 11 frames)
O’Sullivan/Higgins vs Murphy/G Wilson
Allen/Si vs Selby/Carter
Trump/Hawkins vs Williams/Ding
Brecel/Wakelin vs Okay Wilson/Zhang
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