Mark Allen earns career-high payout with win at Riyadh Snooker Championship; The Northern Irishman wins £250,000 for defeating Luca Bressel in the final. Allen defeats Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals to leave the Rockets still waiting for their first title of the 2024/25 season.
Last updated: 12/21/24 12:09 PM
Mark Allen has won the Riyadh Seasonal Snooker Championship
Mark Allen won his first title of the 2024/25 season at the Riyadh Snooker Championship, defeating Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals before seeing off Luca Bressell to claim the £250,000 top prize.
Allen’s best results of the campaign, prior to his success in Saudi Arabia, were the semi-finals of the British Open, UK Championship, Scottish Open and Champion of Champions.
The Northern Irishman beat four-time world champion Mark Selby 4-2 in the quarter-finals in Riyadh and bounced back a day later to see off seven-time Crucible king O’Sullivan by the same scoreline.
He then beat 2023 world champion Bressel 5-1 in the final after losing the first frame, firing in two centuries and 50 breaks as he earned the biggest payday of his career.
Allen also won £250,000 after winning the 2022 British Championship in York.
The Golden Ball remains loose throughout the tournament
At the Riyadh Seasonal Snooker Championship, no player managed to hit the gold ball and earn $1 million for 167 breaks, a unique feat for the event held in Saudi Arabia.
Players can only sink the gold ball after the regulation 147 break, but the closest to the maximum was China’s Zhang Anda, who smashed 12 red and blacks on day one.
Champion Allen will now aim to win the Masters at Alexandra Palace for the second time in January, having previously won the title in 2018, defeating Kieren Wilson in the final.
O’Sullivan is the reigning Masters champion, beating Ali Carter 10-7 in 2024, but is yet to reach the semi-finals of the tournament this season.
Masters Snooker 2025 schedule
The tournament will be held from January 12-19 at Alexandra Palace in London
First round (best of 11 shots)
Sunday January 12
at 13:00
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs John Higgins
19:00
Sean Murphy vs Gary Wilson
Monday January 13
at 13:00
Mark Williams vs. Ding Junhu
19:00
Mark Selby vs Ali Carter
Tuesday January 14
at 13:00
Judd Trump vs Barry Hawkins
19:00
Mark Allen vs Si Jiahui
Wednesday January 15
at 13:00
Kieren Wilson vs. Your Rust
19:00
Luca Bressel vs Chris Wakelin
Quarter Finals (Best of 11 Frames)
O’Sullivan/Higgins vs Murphy/G Wilson
Allen/See vs. Selby/Carter
Trump/Hawkins vs. Williams/Ding
Bressel/Wakelin vs K Wilson/Zhang
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