Northern Ireland's Mark Allen has secured a place in the Masters quarter-finals for the eleventh time, despite struggling with illness throughout his match against Wales' Mark Williams. The 39-year-old Northern Irishman won five frames on the bounce to come from behind and secure a 6-2 victory.
Allen began strongly, taking the opener thanks to a break of 67 before Williams levelled the score at 1-1 by winning two consecutive frames. However, Allen regained control with a series of impressive breaks - including a 54 in frame four, a 60 in frame five and a 125 in frame six.
Williams, who appeared to be struggling with his game after missing several pot attempts, was unable to mount any significant comeback despite squaring the score at 2-2 before Allen took control of the match. The Northern Irishman's advantage became insurmountable as he went on to win frames seven and eight - both of which featured double breaks.
When asked about his struggles with illness prior to the match, Allen admitted that "I felt comfortable" despite not being able to prepare properly for the event.
Allen began strongly, taking the opener thanks to a break of 67 before Williams levelled the score at 1-1 by winning two consecutive frames. However, Allen regained control with a series of impressive breaks - including a 54 in frame four, a 60 in frame five and a 125 in frame six.
Williams, who appeared to be struggling with his game after missing several pot attempts, was unable to mount any significant comeback despite squaring the score at 2-2 before Allen took control of the match. The Northern Irishman's advantage became insurmountable as he went on to win frames seven and eight - both of which featured double breaks.
When asked about his struggles with illness prior to the match, Allen admitted that "I felt comfortable" despite not being able to prepare properly for the event.
he's literally a legend on the snooker table 
i mean who else can come from behind and win 5 frames on the bounce? that 125 break in frame 6 is insane! 
i'm not surprised he struggled with illness beforehand tho, he did seem a bit off his game early on 
but once he got into his zone, watch out 
anyway, congrats to him for making it to the quarter-finals again!! 
Oh man, Mark Allen is like a total inspiration! I mean, 39 years old and still killing it on the snooker scene 
He's shown so much mental toughness and perseverance throughout his career, and this win just proves that he's still got what it takes 
. It's amazing to see someone push through their struggles with illness and come out on top like that 
! And I love how humble he is about it all - no complaints just a straight-up "I felt comfortable" 
. What's not to admire about this guy?
he was down 1-1 and looked like he was going through the motions, but then BAM! He went on a 5-frame win streak 
67, 54, 60, and 125 - what a display of skill 
I'm so glad he was able to push through his illness and get the result he deserved 
Mark Allen's comeback story is always inspiring, but let me fact-check this one 
... did he really win 5 frames on the bounce? 
I've seen some crazy comebacks in snooker before, but that seems a bit too good to be true 
. Also, how can you just "feel comfortable" when dealing with illness? 
is that even possible? 
Anyway, congrats to Mark Allen on making it to the quarter-finals! 
anyway back to mark allen he's like 39 years old and still crushing it in snooker I mean I've been trying to get into it myself but every time I watch a match my mind starts wandering off thinking about what to cook for dinner 
He was clearly struggling with illness, but he dug deep and found a way to outplay Williams 6-2 
and 125 break??! that's just insane 
have you guys ever seen any athletes deal with chronic health issues and still manage to perform at such high levels? maybe it's not fair to say they're 'performing under pressure' but more like performing despite being really, really unwell 
at least he gave it a go though 
and i gotta ask, what's with all these double breaks lately? seems like every other frame is a doubles 