Mark Allen won his first triple crown title when he fought off a spirited performance from Kyren Wilson to triumph 10-7 in the final of the Masters at Alexandra Palace.
The world No 8 was matched for much of Sunday’s contest by his fellow first-time finalist before edging away to lift the Paul Hunter trophy and pocket £200,000 in prize money.
It was 40 years since the great Alex Higgins won his first Masters title and Northern Irishman Allen – who beat the former champions Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins en route to the last two – followed in the footsteps of his countryman following a marathon match lasting five hours and 14 minutes.
It was arguably the biggest contest in the careers of both men and the nerves showed across two edgy and even sessions.
Wilson, the first player born in the 1990s to appear in a triple crown – world championship, UK championship and Masters – final, and described as a future world champion by Peter Ebdon, had never won a match at the invitational tournament before this year. He threatened to complete a remarkable story before falling agonisingly short, as his opponent’s greater experience proved decisive.
Allen, at 31 five years older than Wilson, has won three ranking titles before but not a triple crown event until now.
Clutching the trophy, Allen said: “It is surreal, it has been a long time coming. I was never sure it would come, I have knocked on the door for so long.
“What a competitor Kyren Wilson is. Not just a competitor, he is the nicest guy you can meet and he will have many more days like this. I know what it is like to lose a major, I was in that seat for the UK Championship [in 2011], losing to Judd Trump and Kyren will be in finals for years to come.”
A tearful Wilson said: “I’ve had an incredible week. If anyone was going to beat me I’d have loved it to have been Mark. He deserves it.”
The afternoon session was largely a tactical affair, with several long, drawn-out frames. Resuming at 4-4, the first two frames of the evening were shared before Allen reeled off three frames in a row, including breaks of 73, 119 and 50.
But Wilson showed nerves of steel to win the next two frames and pull the score back to 8-7.
Allen was not to be denied, however, showing his class and excellent break-building skills to take the next two frames for a 10-7 triumph.
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