Mark Allen v Xiao Guodong live stream | Champion of Champions Semi-Final preview
Allen and Xiao face off in Friday’s semi-final (Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo)
Mark Allen goes up against Xiao Guodong on Friday in the first semi-final at this year’s Champion of Champions in Bolton.
The reigning champion collides with the high-flying debutant for a place in Sunday’s showpiece at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
Both players will have a fairly good idea of what to expect, having already faced off three times this season.
Allen came out on top at the Xi’an Grand Prix, but Xiao prevailed at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and last week’s International Championship, winning 6-2 in the latter.
The Pistol has now reached the semi-finals in seven of his last eight appearances at the Champion of Champions, where he also triumphed in 2020.
Allen won Group One on Monday after beating World Seniors champion Igor Figueiredo 4-2, before recovering from 3-0 down to defeat Crucible finalist Jak Jones 6-4.
Matching his best performance of the season, having also reached this stage at the British Open, the two-time champion now looks to reach his fourth final in this event.
As for Xiao, his recent purple patch has continued and he is enjoying a Champion of Champions debut to remember, overturning 3-0 deficits to deny both Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby in deciding frames on Thursday.
The Chinese failed to score a single point in each of the opening three frames against O’Sullivan, but inflicted the same treatment on the four-time winner in the following three frames, before eventually prevailing in a tense decider.
The Wuhan Open champion, who also climbed into the world’s top 16 for the first time last week, was then 3-0 adrift against Selby in the Group Four final. However, he was unfazed once more, battling back before a fluked yellow in the final frame proved decisive.
A showdown with either Mark Williams or Neil Robertson awaits the winner of this match in the 2024 Champion of Champions final.
Play gets under way at 7pm GMT on Friday and will be contested over the best of 11 frames at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
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