Mark Allen had the match of his life in his hands, then promptly dropped it, missing a black ball that was basically begging to be potted and losing 17-16 to Wu Yize in a World Snooker Championship semi-final that will haunt his dreams for years.
The 40-year-old from Antrim needed just one simple black off its spot to seal a 17-15 victory in the 32nd frame, but instead rattled the pocket like a man trying to unlock a door with a spaghetti noodle. That left the 22-year-old Wu an unexpected lifeline, which he calmly accepted, leveling the match and forcing a decider in front of a Sheffield crowd that had collectively stopped breathing.
Allen, to his credit, briefly composed himself, building a 47-point lead before an unlucky split on the reds sent him wandering off position. Wu, apparently made of ice water, stepped in with a 71 clearance to win 17-16, earning a final date with Shaun Murphy on Sunday and Monday.
“You don’t deserve to be in a world final if you’re missing balls like that,” a shell-shocked Allen told BBC Sport, delivering the kind of self-assessment most of us reserve for our cooking. “It was just pure pressure, to be honest. Even though I’m devastated to lose that match I think the right person’s in the final. The way he plays is great for the game, he scores heavily and pots some ridiculous long balls. He’s going to win many world titles.”
Saturday’s sessions were a welcome antidote to Friday night’s notorious 100-minute frame, which former champion Steve Davis had graciously described as an “embarrassment.” This time, the action was crisp, with two swift re-racks and Allen repeatedly nudging one frame clear only to be hauled back by Wu, who drilled long reds with the casual indifference of someone who has never known pressure.
The pivotal moment seemed to arrive in frame 30 when Wu missed a simple red to the middle, letting Allen move to 16-14. But Wu, being Wu, fired back and forced the dramatic conclusion that had everyone checking their blood pressure.
Earlier, Murphy had his own adventure, twice overturning a two-frame deficit in the final session against John Higgins. Their clash looked destined for a decider until Higgins fluffed a black on a break of 50, gifting Murphy the chance to get over the line at the second attempt.
“I just came out today knowing if I got my chances I could score,” Murphy told the BBC. “At the interval I was just saying to myself, ‘you’ve done it before, now you can do it again’. But John Higgins - what a player and what a man. The harder it gets out there, the tougher he gets and the better he plays. If I’m half the player when I’m in my 50s, I’ll be very proud.”
Resuming 13-11 down, Murphy started with two total clearances to haul level, only for Higgins to chisel out the next two and restore his lead. Murphy’s fourth century of the match sparked another surge after the interval, and as Higgins began missing easy balls, Murphy won the last four frames in succession to confirm victory.
Higgins, never one for hyperbole, paid tribute: “The way Shaun hit the ball in that session was incredible. He just hits it like God. I’m disappointed but what can you do. As you get older your action starts to go a little bit at the most extreme points of the match, but take nothing away, Shaun was awesome and he’s got a great chance of going on to win it for a second time.”