Antrim’s Mark Allen one win away from English Open showdown after second successive fightback triumph
Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen battled back from 4-0 down to secure his English Open semi-final shot at the expense of Elliot Slessor by 5-4.
Allen will now face Jak Jones on Saturday (7pm start) for a place in the main event against either Mark Selby or Zhou Yuelong.
Selby booked a place in the semi-finals with a magnificent clearance of 131 in the deciding frame of his clash with Jackson Page.
The four-time world champion’s second century of the evening sealed a 5-4 success to settle a contest lasting more than three hours.
Selby, who won the tournament in 2022, twice trailed world number 34 Page at the Brentwood Centre.
He levelled for a second time – at 3-3 – with a superb knock of 111 and then moved one frame away from victory, only for Welshman Page to ensure the contest went the distance with a break of 54.
China’s Zhou awaits Selby in the last four after he battled back from 4-2 down to beat 2023 world champion Luca Brecel 5-4.
With Brecel, who lost to Selby in the 2022 final, on the brink of progression, Zhou produced breaks of 94 and 113 to level before edging a tense, 52-minute decider.
Jones will face world number 10 Allen in the other semi-final.
Welshman Jones overcame Ireland’s Aaron Hill 5-2, while Allen won 5-4 against Slessor.
Allen defeated Ding Junhui from 3-0 down in a 4-3 win on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals.