Mark Allen Advances to Scottish Open Semi-Finals with Three Centuries

Mark Allen, who has secured 11 ranking tournament victories in his career, advanced towards a potential second Scottish Open title. He achieved this by demonstrating strong break-building skills, including three centuries, in a 5-2 quarter-final victory against Noppon Saengkham. The contest, held in Edinburgh, featured significant scoring, with Allen registering his second set of three centuries in the tournament. He had previously accomplished this feat during his last-32 match against Ryan Day on Wednesday. Noppon Saengkham, his opponent from Thailand, secured the opening frame on Friday evening with a break of 87. However, Allen, ranked world number five, equalized in the subsequent frame and then proceeded to win three consecutive frames. Allen established a 4-1 lead by constructing breaks of 87, 120, and 127. Noppon responded with a break of 136, narrowing Allen’s advantage to two frames. A break of 105 by the Northern Irish player in the seventh frame ensured his victory, keeping him in contention to replicate his tournament success from 2018. Allen is scheduled to compete against Lei Peifan in the semi-finals on Saturday. The Chinese competitor advanced after narrowly defeating Tom Ford, last week’s Shootout winner, by a score of 5-4. The remaining semi-final match will feature two additional Chinese players, Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong. Wu, ranked 27th globally, secured a 5-4 victory over Chris Wakelin, who is ranked 16th, in his quarter-final. Meanwhile, Xiao overcame the 2023 world champion, Luca Brecel, with a 5-1 score.