Snooker results: Ding Junhui beats Mark Allen 6-5 at UK Championship

It was Allen who powered to victory from a position of apparent peril when these two met in the 2022 final, but this time Ding gained a measure of revenge despite having trailed 4-2.

The biggest hurdle for the Chinese star to overcome was not the scoreline but his own technical woes under pressure, which were in evidence throughout but became potentially decisive when a stuttering stroke resulted in a missed black with the match at his mercy.

That was just after he'd taken the lead at 5-4 and allowed Allen to force a decider, but this time it was the Northern Irishman who came unstuck, missing a straightforward red to middle when leading 37-0 with the balls nicely spread.

Ding somehow managed to take care of business despite several more moments of alarm, his 102 clearance ending Allen's defence in the opening session of the championship proper.

It was a popular win for Ding, roared over the line by the York locals and warmly congratulated by Allen, as he defied ill health and his own nerves to move into the last 16.

“Every time he made 60 or 50 and I had a chance, I was straight into the black ball area. I made the points that I could. I didn’t put a lot of pressure on myself. I couldn’t think about it that way, because I don’t feel very good,” admitted 14-time ranking event winner Ding.

“I was in the doctors to get some tablets and they haven’t worked yet. In the morning I couldn’t even stand. I thought I maybe wouldn’t be able to play today. I just made it happen and I felt a bit better before the match started. I was thinking of just giving a walkover for this game. I tried to play.”

Allen said: “It was a strange game. I felt like I was in complete control in so many frames and kept losing the frames I was ahead in. I was 5-4 down and I didn’t know how. On another day I win that match 6-1. If you don’t take your chances in this game they come back to bite you and Ding made a good break in the last.

“I’m disappointed to lose. I don’t want to go out in the first round of the UK, but I played well there. I played much better than Ding did. It was just one of those strange games that happens now and again. I did all of the scoring in the game. There were just a few silly mental errors on safeties.”

On the neighbouring table, Mark Williams took three of the final four frames to edge out Fan Zhengyi, whose 130 break was the highlight, while in the evening Tom Ford beat Noppon Saengkham 6-5 as two more epics completed the set.

Lasting more than three hours in the end, this was a match which seemed destined to be over much sooner and to go to Saengkham after three centuries in a run of four frames helped the Thai lead 5-1.

But from there Ford somehow turned the tide, edging a tight ninth frame and then landing a cruel counterpunch in the decider, after Saengkham had run out of position while trying to develop the final few reds he needed to complete a match-winning break.

From there it was an aggressive safety shot that helped earn Ford a golden opportunity which he took to complete a fabulous comeback.

Kyren Wilson also found himself on the end of a stunning comeback, as Jamie Clarke beat him 6-5 having trailed 5-1.

Breaks of 80, 104 and 76 saw Clarke complete another fine turnaround having qualified for the main draw after beating Dave Gilbert by the same scoreline.

Schedule & results

Saturday November 25
Afternoon session (1300 GMT)

• Mark Allen 5-6 Ding Junhui
• Mark Williams 6-4 Fang Zhengyi

Evening session (1900 GMT)

• Tom Ford 6-5 Noppon Saengkham
• Kyren Wilson 5-6 Jamie Clarke