Masters 2025: Mark Allen Experiments at Masters to Perfect Form for Sheffield

Northern Ireland’s snooker ace Mark Allen began his 2025 Masters campaign in style with a commanding first-round win over China’s rising star Si Jiahui. 

At just 22 years old, “The Pearl” Jiahui entered the tournament as its youngest competitor, making his Masters debut after breaking into the world’s top 16 in 2024.

However, the experienced Allen, nicknamed “The Pistol,” delivered a composed and professional performance to secure a 6-2 victory, keeping his bid for a second Paul Hunter Trophy alive. 

The Northern Irishman showcased his class with moments of brilliance, including a stunning 111-century break in the third frame. His victory sets up a tantalising quarterfinal clash with Mark Selby.

History Against Selby

Allen famously defeated Selby in last year’s competition, producing a spectacular 147 maximum break on his way to victory. 

Reviewing their upcoming match, Allen told SportsBoom.com: “It was high quality and obviously I made a max [147 break]. I think nearly every time we play our matches are close. But I think I've won a few of the recent meetings. I've won a couple of times in this event. I've won twice in Saudi.”

“I know it sounds so silly. It’s easier when you play someone like Mark [Selby] because you just have to play well, there's no second chance. Is he going to crumble? Is he going to miss this? It just doesn't happen.”

A Return to Winning Ways

Allen enjoyed a strong 2023/24 season, reaching the summit of the world rankings in August. However, his form dipped, and he held the world number one spot for only three months before results faltered. 

This season, while his performances have been consistently high, he struggled to convert them into titles—until his breakthrough in Riyadh, where he triumphed at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, defeating Luca Brecel in the final.

Allen credits that victory with rejuvenating his confidence and setting him up for success in the 2025 Masters.

“It's mad because a few years back, if you said to me, I have to wait seven months between tournament wins, I would have said that's alright. But whenever you feel like you're used to winning, seven months feels like an eternity and it feels like, am I ever going to win again? That’s the craziness of snooker.”

“The good thing for me is I trended in the right direction before Christmas, four consecutive semifinals, then go and win Saudi. I want to try and keep that going here.”

Reflecting on his brief stint as world number one, Allen added: “It wasn't the way I wanted to get the world number one, but the rankings don't lie, and I still got there. I had loved to have won a match or won an event to get awarded number one. It wasn't quite meant to be.”

“And then Judd is making it a bit boring at the minute, isn't he? He's not getting caught for some time. It's just up to the rest of us to keep trying our best to win tournaments here and there,” he joked.

“Ultimately, if I can go and do well at Sheffield and win that, that gives me conversation again for being more number one. I'd love to get back there, but it's definitely a box tick in my career.”

The Dream of Sheffield

While Allen is focused on adding a second Masters title to his résumé, he made it clear that his ultimate dream lies with winning the World Championship in Sheffield. 

Allen revealed he has been experimenting with his game throughout the season, including at the Masters, to ensure he is at his best for Sheffield.

“Look, these Triple Crown events are what I judge my career on. I've only won two and I feel like that's a very disappointing return for what I think I'm capable of, but it's tough. There's a lot of people out there that would love to win two.”

“I’ll take nothing away from this event in the Masters, but I feel like I'm experimenting a little bit here to try and find something that's going to work in Sheffield.”

“I've been experimenting for a few months now and it seems to be doing all right now. Obviously, I've been reasonably consistent, but for me it's not about this week, it's about finding something that I can take to Sheffield and give myself the best chance there this year. I feel like that's the one that's missing.”