Mark Allen Eliminated from Scottish Open Semi-Final Following Lei Peifan Comeback

Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen, who won the Scottish Open title in 2018, experienced a narrow defeat in the semi-final of the tournament as Lei Peifan mounted a significant comeback to win 6-5, after trailing 5-2. Allen established a 3-0 lead in Edinburgh with breaks of 73 and 97. However, the 21-year-old Chinese player then claimed the subsequent two frames, narrowing the gap to 3-2. The world number five appeared close to victory after securing frames six and seven. Nevertheless, a missed pink in the following frame proved to be a pivotal moment, allowing his persistent opponent, ranked 84th, to fight back and win four consecutive frames in what was described as an attritional contest. Lei Peifan had not previously advanced beyond the quarter-final stage of a ranking tournament and had twice lost his Tour card during his career. He will now compete in Sunday’s final against his compatriot Wu Yize. Wu Yize secured his spot in the final by defeating fellow Chinese player Xiao Guodong 6-4, overcoming a 4-2 deficit in the day’s other semi-final match. Also 21 years old, Wu Yize is set to compete in the second ranking event final of his career, having previously lost 9-7 to Neil Robertson in the English Open final in September. His comeback victory, achieved by the world number 27, featured a break of 115 in the ninth frame, which allowed him to take the lead for the first time in the match. The two young Chinese players are scheduled to compete in a best-of-17 frame final on Sunday, where the victor will receive £100,000 and the Stephen Hendry Trophy. For Allen, however, the defeat means he misses the chance to secure a 12th ranking title and a second Scottish Open crown. The Antrim player had demonstrated strong scoring form throughout the week at the Meadowbank Sports Centre, achieving multiple centuries en route to the semi-finals.