Mark Allen is convinced the party still has a place as he continues his quest for a maiden world snooker title at the Crucible on Saturday.
The 38-year-old from Antrim has launched a dramatic fitness campaign that has seen him lose more than six stone in the past two years, win a number of ranking titles and soar up the world rankings to third place – and possibly first place by the end of this competition.
But ahead of his second-round clash with John Higgins, which begins on Saturday afternoon, night owl Allen stressed the need to continue to maintain balance as he aims to chart a path to the finals for the first time.
“Just because you go out and party doesn’t mean you’re not fully committed to the sport,” Allen said. “I think I probably haven’t struck a good balance in the past, it’s about doing things at the right time because you have to live away from snooker.
“I still enjoy a night out with friends. I probably don’t do it as often as I used to, but when I do, I make up for it. I enjoy a few shots of vodka, but now I’m never in the distance Drink when the game is too close, that’s the difference.
Allen reached the semifinals last year and this is his second single-table event after a series of disappointing early-round matches. mentality.
The loss coincided with a turbulent period in his personal life, with him divorcing his then-wife in 2020 and declaring himself bankrupt the following year, despite earning more than £3.5million from a career.
Allen added: “Ronnie was nowhere near his best and he still left me on the sidelines and I had to ask myself if I wanted to be that player who came back here and didn’t have a challenge.
“It’s been frustrating coming here a lot of times and not performing well because I knew I had a chance to win the game. I’ve tried a lot of things and it hasn’t worked so far, but I feel like I’ve made progress in recent years, This year I came into the game at a whole new level.
Judd Trump Two games away from returning to the quarterfinals Tom Ford Building an 11-5 lead overnight. The third seed led 7-2 after Thursday’s start and took the first set on Friday before Ford spurned a golden chance to score his first Crucible full point of the year, hitting 10 red balls and nine black balls Later, it was stranded with a score of 73.
Trump took advantage of a series of Ford errors to narrow the deficit further and once looked capable of winning the game with one frame left, but the No. 14 seed rallied and won the final frame of the day with a single stroke of 83 .
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David Gilbert send Robert Milkins He became the first player to advance to the quarterfinals with a record of 13 wins and 4 losses, and revealed that rigorous physical training was the reason why he reached the semifinals for the first time since 2019.
Gilbert led 12-4 after Friday morning’s action, needing just 17 minutes to defeat the No. 16 seed, who was hampered by a recurring back injury and missed a pin in the No. 12 After a simple red card, he threw the stick, which showed the extent of his frustration.
“The lesson I learned when I got to the semifinals is you have to stay as healthy as possible,” Gilbert said. “I use my time wisely, eat right, and eat the right things. I go to the gym, purely lift weights, and just try to lift as much weight as I can. I’m going to destroy the gym and keep eating the right things.
Stephen Maguire With the 2005 champions taking a 5-3 lead overnight, Sean Murphyalthough like jones Lead 9-7 Si JiahuiLast year, they surprisingly made it to the semifinals after a poor performance in the second quarter of the second round. Jones, the lowest-ranked player in the tournament at No. 44, is hoping to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
