'This is the one you want to do well in': Mark Allen starts Masters bid with 6-2 win against Si Jiahui
Mark Allen booked a quarter-final date against Mark Selby after getting his Masters campaign up and running with a 6-2 win against Si Jiahui at Alexandra Palace.
Allen won a lengthy first frame that lasted over 40 minutes as the Northern Irishman used his experience and guile.
Masters debutant Jiahui reeled off a break of 49 but after a lengthy safety exchange, Allen potted a red and left his opponent behind the blue.
The Chinese star managed to get out of the tricky snooker but Allen potted the necessary points to take the frame.
However, that disappointment was quickly extinguished as Allen's pot into the red saw the white go into the pocket for a foul.
That mistake was punished as Jiahui compiled a century break of 103 to level the score at 1-1.
Frame three saw world number 4 Allen grab a century of his own after Jiahui's miss resulted in a break of 111 to go 2-1 ahead.
The ruthlessness continued in the final frame before the mid-session interval as a poor safety by Jiahui left Allen in and he went 3-1 ahead with a run of 70.
World number 13 Jiahui knew the importance of grabbing the fifth frame and he did exactly that as a 60 break helped him get over the line for a 3-2 deficit.
The two frame cushion was then restored thereafter as a missed pot by Jiahui let Allen in and the former world number one did the rest by hitting a 94 break, with a shot on the rest going by the away side as the Antrim man missed out on another century.
Allen – who won the tournament in 2018 – took control of the match and moved to within one from victory after a back-and-forth frame went his way with two notable contributions.
A very clinical performance was settled as Allen grabbed the sixth frame he needed as a break of 80 sealed the deal.
Allen told BBC Sport after the win: “I played well there. I missed one or two shots the whole game.
"I just felt I got the better of the safety side of it. He’s such a dangerous player you need to keep it tight and I thought I did that tonight.
"These are the events you want to play in. This is one of the biggest events in our calendar and probably the best arena we play in.
"This is the one you want to do well in.”
Earlier on Tuesday, world number one Judd Trump breezed through his opening match at the Masters with a 6-1 win over Barry Hawkins.
Seeking his third title at Alexandra Palace, Trump was in ruthless form as he punished any lapse from Hawkins on his way to a 5-0 lead.
Hawkins pulled a frame back with a break of 70, but Trump responded with 112 to take the win over the man he also beat in the UK Championship final last month.