Mark Allen is through to the final of the International Championship in Daqing after a 9-6 victory over Matthew Stevens on Friday.
Allen, seeking a fourth ranking title of his career, had to fight back from 3-1 down after Stevens took three frames on the bounce with breaks of 59, 70, and 86 in the early going.
But the Northern Irishman did just that as he replied with three frames of his own, including a break of 120, and he was 5-3 up after potting the final pink and black of a tight eighth frame.
After Allen took the first frame of the evening session Stevens hit breaks of 110 and 144 to close the deficit to 6-5. The pair traded centuries again as Allen made 102 and Stevens 115 to make it 7-6.
But Allen then punished a missed black from Stevens in the 14th frame with a clearance of 85 before finishing the job in the 15th frame.
“It was a good match to be involved in,” Allen told worldsnooker.com. “I felt as if Matthew was the better player, he was sharper than me, potted more long balls and scored just as heavily.
“The grit and determination got me through because I wasn’t at my best. Matthew missing the black at 7-6 was the crucial point because he was the dominant player at that stage.
“I made a good clearance and that turned the match. The scoreline was very flattering for me but I’ll take it.”
Allen will now face the winner of Saturday’s match between Neil Robertson and Jack Lisowski as he looks to improve on runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2017.
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