The first semi-final of the Tour Championship turned into an absolute sporting epic so there is plenty for Mark Allen and Neil Robertson to live up to when they meet in the second last four clash of the final Coral Snooker Series event of the campaign on Friday.
Ronnie O’Sullivan came from way back to book his place in the two-day final in Venue Cymru in Llandudno on Thursday and one of these two will join him there when they have settled their spoils over the best-of-19 frames.
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Mark Allen
The fact that Mark Allen went into the tournament as the number one said everything we need to know about his season overall. He landed a huge prize purse when he claimed the International Championship early in the piece and then followed that up a little later with the Scottish Open title not long after he lost out in the final of the UK Championship.
Things have been a little quieter for him since the turn of the year but he made the last four of the Players Championship recently and came past the challenge of Kyren Wilson in the quarter finals here with some clearances that further showed his better form is coming back. It is doing so at just the right time too with Sheffield around the corner now.
Neil Robertson
In many ways it has been the complete opposite for Neil Robertson, which much of his better form coming in the second part of the season. He did land the Riga Masters right back at the outset of it but the field there wasn’t the best. Since Christmas he has really turned it on though and has won the Welsh Open and reached the final of the Players Championship in the last month or so.
Robertson could be forgiven for thinking that he is free rolling in this tournament now after he came from 6-2 down to Mark Selby in the quarter final earlier in the week here before coming out on top in a deciding frame. That showed two things. Firstly he can handle the pressure of the scoreboard and secondly he is here to win as it would have been so easy to turn it in and head home to be with his newly born child.
Head-to-Head
These two are no strangers to facing one another having done so on no fewer than 25 occasions in the past if we included their Championship League meetings. Robertson holds the edge having won 14 of those matches with Allen coming out on top in just 11. The Northern Ireland man will know that he has won all three of their battles this season, and the last five overall.
Robertson holds a bit of a clearer edge on the frame front having come out on top in 108 frames to the 97 that Allen has been victorious in. Robertson does have the knowledge that of the three semi-final matches the pair have played, he has won all three. They played in the International Championship final over this distance earlier in the season and Allen powered to a 10-5 win on that occasion.
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Betting
Heading into this tournament I expected to see a lot of close matches given that we have the eight form players for the campaign here and I’ve not been disappointed in that regard. Of the five matches to have been completed so far three of them have gone to a deciding frame and another was one by just two frames so my hunch has been proven to be correct.
I’m expecting nothing different here either I have to say. Both these men are known for their quality in longer matches and I’m fully believing we are going to see that here. I know their last 19 frame encounter was one-sided but nobody was going to live with Mark Allen that day. Robertson has shown his fight this week while Allen had to survive pressurised moments and that all makes me think this isn’t going to be won any easier than 10-7 whichever way the outcome goes.
Tips
Back Over 16.5 frames for a 5/10 stake at 1.80 with William Hill
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