allen comeback zhang anda turned sharply at the Crucible on Sunday, when Mark Allen overturned a 5-3 deficit to beat Zhang Anda 10-6 and advance to the last 16 of the World Snooker Championship. The Northern Ireland player had left the arena after Saturday’s first session frustrated and far below his best, but he returned in Sheffield with a far cleaner cue action and far more control. The match changed in a burst of heavy scoring that Zhang could not answer.
Allen Comeback Zhang Anda flips after a flat first session
Allen was behind after the opening session and had not made a break of 50 or more, a blunt sign of how much ground he had to recover. On Sunday, he responded with a magnificent 140 clearance in frame 11, then followed it with a 109 in frame 12 to seize momentum. He added a 129 in frame 15, moving to the brink of victory before closing the match with an 81 in frame 16.
Zhang, who has now lost in the first round in all six of his Crucible appearances, managed only 42 points across the final six frames as Allen pressed home the advantage. The turnaround was decisive, and the scoreboard quickly reflected the shift in confidence and rhythm.
Allen Comeback Zhang Anda and the reaction from the player
Allen did not hide how badly he had felt after the opening session. He called it “absolutely embarrassing” and said he had been “so frustrated” after a day in which little had gone right on the table. He explained that he spent the evening with friends, had a few drinks, watched football and even had some bets before sleeping well and returning with less pressure.
“I thought, ‘I can’t play any worse than yesterday, ’” Allen said. He added that the change of mood helped, but stressed that he cannot afford many more sessions like the one he produced on Saturday. Allen also said he was aware of the standards expected at this level and that the better players at the top of the sport deliver those sessions repeatedly.
What the result means for Allen now
The win sends Allen into the last 16, where he will face either 2024 champion Kyren Wilson or 19-year-old Stan Moody. It also underlines why Allen remains a major figure at the World Snooker Championship: he has reached the semi-finals twice at the Crucible, won the Masters and the UK Championship, and spent three months as world number one in 2024.
Even with that record, Allen said his career would still feel incomplete without a world title. The next round now offers another chance to build on this allen comeback zhang anda performance, but the message from Sheffield is clear: if Allen wants to go deeper, he will need the second-session version far more often than the first.
