Mark Allen earns career-highest payday with victory at Riyadh Season Snooker Championship; Northern Irishman wins £250,000 for beating Luca Brecel in the final; Allen beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-final to leave 'Rocket' still waiting for first title of 2024/25
Last updated: 21/12/24 12:09 am
Mark Allen won the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship
Mark Allen won his first title of 2024/25 with victory at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals before seeing off Luca Brecel for the top prize of £ 250,000 to receive.
The good results of this campaign that Allen did before he succeeded in Saudi Arabia were reaching the semi-finals of the British Open Championship, the UK Championship, the Scottish Open Championship and the Champion of Champions.
The Northern Irishman beat four-time world champion Mark Selby 4-2 in the quarter-finals in Riyadh and returned a day later to see where the Crucible king O' Sullivan seven times with the same score.
He then thrashed 2023 world champion Brecel 5-1 in the final after losing the first frame, firing in two centuries and a break of 50 as he earned the highest payday of career.
Allen also won £250,000 after winning the UK Championship in York in 2022.
The golden ball remains unbeaten throughout the tournament
No player at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship managed to pot the gold ball and win $1m for a break of 167, which is unprecedented for the event in Saudi Arabia.
Players can only sink the golden ball after completing a regulation break of 147 but the closest to the record was China's Zhang Anda, who broke down after 12 red and black on the first day.
Champion Allen will now aim to win The Masters at Alexandra Palace for the second time in January after winning that title in 2018, beating Kyren Wilson in the final.
O'Sullivan is the defending Masters champion, beating Ali Carter 10-7 in 2024, but has yet to get past the quarter-finals of a tournament this season.
Masters Snooker 2025 Schedule
The competition runs from January 12-19 at Alexandra Palace, London
Round One (11 Best Frames)
Sunday January 12th
1 p.m
Ronnie O'Sullivan vs John Higgins
7 p.m
Shaun Murphy vs. Gary Wilson
Monday 13 January
1 p.m
Mark Williams vs. Ding Junhui
7 p.m
Mark Selby vs. Ali Carter
Tuesday 14 January
1 p.m
Judd Trump vs. Barry Hawkins
7 p.m
Mark Allen vs. Si Jiahui
Wednesday January 15th
1 p.m
Kyren Wilson vs Do Zhang
7 p.m
Luca Brecel vs. Chris Wakelin
Finals (11 best frames)
O'Sullivan/Higgins vs Murphy/G Wilson
Allen/Si vs. Selby/Carter
Trump/Hawkins vs. Williams/Ding
Brecel/Wakelin vs. K Wilson/Zhang
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