Mark Allen Beats Zhang Anda 10-6 After Crucible Comeback From 5-3 Deficit

Mark Allen turned an “absolutely embarrassing” start into a 10-6 victory over China’s Zhang Anda to reach the last 16 of the World Championship at the Crucible.

“Former world number one Mark Allen fought back from an "absolutely embarrassing" first session to beat China's Zhang Anda 10-6 and move into the last 16 of the World Championship”

BBC

The BBC said Allen, from Northern Ireland, trailed 5-3 after Saturday’s first session and had not made a break of 50, before he “spent the evening having ‘some drinks with my mates, a few more drinks and watching the football’.”

BBC

On Sunday, Allen produced a “magnificent clearance of 140” to begin his recovery, followed by a break of 109, then a 129 to move one frame from victory, which he sealed with a break of 81.

The Belfast Telegraph described the same swing, saying Allen “overturned a 5-3 overnight deficit” and recorded a clearance of 140 in the 11th frame, with further contributions of 109 and 129 before closing with a composed 81.

Sporting Life framed the change as a return to rhythm after a “lengthy opening frame in the second session on Sunday morning,” when Allen leveled at 6-6 and then won the final four frames, including another 129 and an 81.

RTE.ie similarly tied the comeback to what Allen did after the match, saying he had “a few drinks” and “a burger” after Saturday’s display and then “returned to rifle three centuries in a six-frame streak to reach the last 16.”

Across reports, the match’s turning points were anchored to specific frame-by-frame scoring and break totals.

The BBC said Allen’s recovery began with a “magnificent clearance of 140,” then came “a break of 109,” and his “third century in five frames” arrived with “a 129 to move one away from victory,” before he sealed the match with “a break of 81.”

Daily Record

Sporting Life added that Allen’s comeback started after he was “5-3 down after a difficult opening session on Saturday morning,” and that Zhang had looked sharp early with breaks of “129 and 109,” while Allen “failed to register a single half-century in the session.”

Sporting Life also described the momentum shift in the second session, saying Allen produced “back-to-back centuries of 140 and 109 to level the contest at 6-6,” then won “the final four frames,” including “a further century break of 129 and a composed 81.”

TNT Sports’ live account emphasized the run of frames, saying Allen “won six consecutive frames to book his place in the second round,” and it repeatedly referenced the session’s century breaks, including “It’s a 129-0 frame for Allen and his third century of the match.”

Even the local Daily Record account, while focused on timing, referenced the match’s state when it was halted, saying “Anda moving into a 5-3 lead” before Crucible chiefs stopped play early.

Several outlets focused on what Allen said about the mental and routine changes that followed Saturday’s session.

“Mark Allen admitted heading to the pub after an "embarrassing" first session of his opening World Snooker Championship match”

Daily Express

The BBC quoted Allen describing his first day as “absolutely embarrassing, very frustrating and I was completely gutted with my performance,” and said he came in on Sunday with “less expectations” but felt “the fire in your belly comes back.”

The BBC also relayed Allen’s account of his evening, including “I just went out and had a few drinks and a burger,” and his thought that “I thought, 'I can't play any worse than yesterday'.”

Sporting Life similarly quoted Allen’s contrast between days, saying “It was very different than yesterday; I'll tell you that. That was like chalk and cheese, wasn't it? It was actually embarrassing yesterday. Very, very frustrating,” and it added Allen’s self-assessment that “Zhang didn't do any of that to me. I did it to myself.”

RTE.ie highlighted Allen’s description of what he did after the match, quoting him saying, “After the match yesterday I had a few drinks, I got a burger,” and then describing how he “slept really well last night and slept better today.”

Daily Express framed the same theme with a different emphasis, saying Allen “admitted heading to the pub after an 'embarrassing' first session” and that he “ended up resorting to drinking pints in the pub to put it out of his mind.”

While Allen’s win dominated the narrative, the same World Championship day included other first-round results and upcoming matchups.

The BBC said three-time champion and 2025 runner-up Mark Williams, 51, “cruised into the next round thanks to a 10-4 win over 22-year-old Antoni Kowalski,” and it quoted Williams on his start, saying, “He started off like a train and it could have been 2-0.”

Sporting Life

The BBC then set Williams’ next opponent as “2013 runner-up Barry Hawkins, who won 10-4 against Wales' Matthew Stevens.”

TNT Sports’ live coverage also reported that “Ding Junhui opened his championship with a formidable display, including two centuries, and leads David Gilbert 7-2,” and it added that “Ali Carter moved 5-4 up on John Higgins.”

RTE.ie echoed the other table’s state, saying “Ding Junhui” left “David Gilbert” trailing “7-2 in front ahead of Monday’s conclusion,” and it described Ali Carter’s recovery from “4-0 down” to lead “John Higgins 5-4” after the opening session.

For Allen’s own next step, the BBC said he will play “2024 champion Kyren Wilson or 19-year-old Stan Moody in the last 16,” while the Belfast Telegraph said Allen would “await the winner of the tie between defending champion Kyren Wilson and teenage prospect Stan Moody.”

The match also came with operational details and contrasting ways of framing Allen’s recovery.

“Mark Allen revealed how "bad food" and a few drinks fuelled his surge into the second round of the World Snooker Championship after he swallowed up a two-frame overnight deficit to crush Zhang Anda 10-6 at the Crucible”

RTE.ie

The Daily Record reported that tournament bosses “shaved a frame off the opening session” and that the match between Allen and Anda was “scheduled to play nine frames,” but was stopped early when “Anda moving into a 5-3 lead,” with a tournament director calling a halt “at eight to ensure there was no delay to the beginning of the next matches.”

TNT Sports

It added that “The afternoon matches due to begin at 2.30pm” and that the pair were able to get their “ninth afternoon frame concluded” after starting “less than hour before the evening games were due to begin at 7pm.”

The same Daily Record account described a separate “mix-up on the table” involving Zhao Xintong and Liam Highfield, and said snooker ref Rob Spencer laughed after announcing the “final frame” incorrectly to the “near-1,000 crowd inside the arena.”

In terms of framing, the BBC emphasized the discipline-to-recovery arc, saying Allen had “some drinks with my mates, a few more drinks and watching the football,” while the Daily Express leaned into the pub narrative, saying he “heads to pub” and “ended up resorting to drinking pints in the pub.”

Sporting Life, meanwhile, presented Allen’s self-critique as a mental battle, quoting him saying “I feel a constant battle with myself at the minute,” and it described his routine overhaul with “For the past month I’ve been so disciplined” and “I’ve been in the gym, working with a PT.”