Mark Allen hopeful of rapid Ronnie O'Sullivan return after Masters withdrawal - 'Game is better with him in it'
Published 12/01/2026 at 18:39 GMT
The Masters is one of snooker’s showpiece events, with the world’s top 16 players invited to compete for the prize. But the Alexandra Palace fans were denied the chance to see arguably the biggest draw in the sport as eight-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan withdrew. Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Masters, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
'I could hardly get out of bed' - Allen thrilled with win over Williams after illness
Video credit: TNT Sports
Mark Allen is hopeful Ronnie O’Sullivan makes a swift return to snooker, saying "the game is better with him in it".
O’Sullivan withdrew from the Masters a little under a week before his first-round clash with Neil Robertson, with World Snooker issuing a brief statement saying the 23-time major winner was absent on medical grounds.
O’Sullivan has missed a host of events this term, with his Masters withdrawal adding to absences at the Wuhan Open, English Open, British Open, Northern Ireland Open, Shoot Out and Scottish Open.
The 50-year-old’s next scheduled appearance is at the German Masters in Berlin later this month - he is in the draw to face Long Zehuang - and Allen is hopeful the seven-time world champion makes a rapid return to the table.
"I was very surprised," Allen told TNT Sports about when he was made aware of O’Sullivan’s absence from the Masters.
"I was practising with him just before the UK [Championship] and what he was saying, he was leaning towards playing here.
"I hope that whatever has gone on he is okay because the game is better with him in it."
- 'Unplayable' Zhao compared to O'Sullivan but 'has to put in the work' - White
- O'Sullivan withdrawal surprises White - 'His game was in good shape'
Allen opened his Masters quest with a comfortable 6-2 victory over Mark Williams, and he later admitted illness could have robbed him of a shot at victory.
The Northern Ireland potter showed no signs of any issues as he picked off breaks of 67, 54, 60, 125 and 70 against a below-par opponent.
Following the match, Allen revealed he had been restricted to his bed due to a bout of food poisoning.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/01/12/image-55b92da1-9f15-4438-aaa7-6792b6e8a262-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
'Taking a full grip on this match' - Allen make first century of clash
Video credit: TNT Sports
"I was just lying in bed one night and had to go and throw up and that was me for about six hours," Allen told TNT Sports. "Three days later I could hardly get out of bed."
Allen said the illness hindered his preparation for his clash with Williams at Alexandra Palace, and he suggested that had his Welsh opponent taken a scrappy eighth frame to make the score 5-3 he may have struggled to close out the win.
"Even the last few days getting up and trying to prepare for this, I was very, very weak," Allen said.
"I played for maybe an hour, hour and a half and then felt really tired and had nothing left. I sort of felt that out there.
"The interval came at a really good time and I felt that if I didn’t win that frame and it goes 5-3, then it is in my head that I don’t have much left."
Reflecting on a win that set up a quarter-final meeting with either Judd Trump or Ding Junhui, Allen said: "Any win against Mark is a good one to get, and I felt as the match went on I grew into it. There were lots of positives.
"I just felt like I wanted to continue where I was in Scotland. In general, that week, I played some good stuff and got on with it and I wanted that to continue here."
- - -
Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Masters, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
Thoughts?
Advertisement
Advertisement