Mark Allen is facing a second-round struggle to keep alive hopes of securing World Championship glory.

The Antrim cueman will be hoping for a swift start to Friday’s morning session as he bids to turn the tables on a 6-2 deficit to Chris Wakelin in the race towards 13 frames.

Having battled back from 3-0 down to finish with a convincing first-round win over Fan Zhengyi by 10-6 to kick off his latest push for the Crucible crown, Allen is now in search of another fightback.

Snooker pundit John Virgo, as reported by BBC Sport, described Allen’s situation after Thursday as “a bit of a hole” and that the next appearance will prove a “must-win session for Mark if he's going to get anything out of this match”.

placeholder image — Mark Allen during his World Championship clash with Chris Wakelin on day six at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Wire)

Allen was 2-0 down before a century break helped him cut the gap, only for the players to swap frames heading into the sixth which Wakelin claimed towards three on the bounce for the 6-2 upper hand.

Allen and Wakelin start Friday’s morning session at 10 o’clock before wrapping up the second round over the evening tussle (7pm).

The 38-year-old from Northern Ireland arrived in Sheffield with 11 ranking titles on his career CV and two of the three Triple Crown prizes thanks to past UK Championship and Masters triumphs. He reached the world semi-finals over 2009 and 2023 but has yet to make a final appearance in the sport’s main event.

"I am here to win the tournament and have four very tough opponents in front of me," said Allen on the official WST website ahead of taking on Wakelin.