World No. 3 Mark Allen beats Farakh Ajaib in International Championship qualifiers to enter main draw
/dnl.tntsports.co.uk/sd/img/placeholder/tnt_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Published 02/10/2024 at 18:43 GMT+1
Mark Allen has joined the likes of world No. 1 Judd Trump in the main draw of the 2024 International Championship by beating world No. 111 Farakh Ajaib. The world No. 3 was pushed to the limit in the early stages of the match. However, he produced back-to-back breaks of 127 and 123 to wrap up the win and book his place at the 2024 International Championship.
Jun stuns Brecel in International Championship qualiyfing
Video credit: TNT Sports
World No. 3 Mark Allen booked his place in the International Championship with a 6-3 win against Farakh Ajaib.
The Pistol made a nervy start to the opener, and Ajaib capitalised, winning the frame 75-29 to take a 1-0 lead. Allen responded by breaking for 43 to take control of the second frame.
The world No. 111 did not give in and eventually put some nice shots together to give himself a chance. However, he missed a simple shot on the black and Allen saw out the frame to level the match at 1-1.
Ajaib broke for 28 before missing a potable red to let his opponent back into the third.
Allen tightened his grip on the match with a break of 62 to win the frame and take the lead for the first time.
But Ajaib had the better of the early stages of the fourth, taking a 6-0 lead, though the frame hung in the balance after Allen recovered.
The Pistol had a 20-6 advantage, but after a lengthy exchange of safety shots, Ajaib potted a long-range red before taking a 56-21 lead.
Allen stayed in the fight, but he eventually conceded the frame, and the players headed into the interval level at 2-2.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2024/10/01/4047025-82078153-2560-1440.jpg)
Murphy qualifies for International Championship with victory over Heathcote
Video credit: TNT Sports
Allen looked much more assured after the break as he cruised into a 3-2 lead. The 11-time ranking event winner played his best snooker of the match to produce a stunning break of 127 and win the frame.
He followed that with another impressive display in the sixth. The Pistol took a 4-2 lead after another big break of 123.
The match appeared to be slipping through Ajaib's fingers as Allen took a 16-0 lead at the start of the seventh. However, the former responded to lead 59-16, before holding his nerve to win the frame and cut Allen's advantage in half.
The eighth was a closely fought affair, but Allen eventually took control. The Pistol produced a visit of 85 to take a 5-3 lead and move within a frame of victory.
Allen looked like he could run away with the final frame, breaking for 60 before failing to pot a simple red.
Ajaib was not out of it yet though, responding with a visit of 24, before playing some nice shots to make it 64-61. However, he crucially failed to pot the pink, and Allen made no mistake to wrap up a 6-3 win.
Lisowski survives scare against Revesz
Elsewhere this afternoon, Jack Lisowski came from 3-1 down to defeat 17-year-old Bulgarian prospect Bulcsu Revesz 6-4.
Revesz stormed into a 3-1 lead with breaks of 99, 77, and 76.
However, Lisowski won the final three frames of the match to pull off a remarkable comeback.
Joe Perry eased to a 6-1 victory over Brazil's Jonas Luz and Jackson Page defeated Oliver Lines 6-2.
Stream top snooker action, including the Northern Ireland Open, on discovery+
React to this story
Share this article
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement