Mark Allen reigns at Riyadh Season Snooker Championship
Allen (left) beat Brecel in Riyadh (Photo credit: WST)
Mark Allen claimed his first silverware of the season at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship after beating Luca Brecel 5-1 in the final.
The Pistol was the last man standing at the Global Theatre in Boulevard City, equalling the biggest payday of his career by landing the top prize of £250,000.
Allen dethroned reigning champion Ronnie O’Sullivan earlier on Friday following a 4-2 victory in the semi-finals, sealing the win with a magnificent 134 total clearance.
The world number four then hit breaks of 109 and 104 on the way to a commanding win over Brecel, who was runner-up for the second successive edition of this tournament.
Both players were appearing in their first final of the season, with Brecel having beaten Mark Williams 4-2 earlier in the day.
The Belgian had prevailed by the same scoreline when he met Allen in the semi-finals of the inaugural event in March.
He drew first blood here on the colours, edging his nose in front after Allen – already trailing by 25 points – missed the green to a baulk corner.
Brecel hit two centuries during his 4-0 rout of Zhang Anda in his opening match of the week, before edging out reigning World champion Kyren Wilson in the quarter-finals.
He looked good for 2-0 after building a 49-0 lead in the second frame but, after missing a tricky red, the Pistol pounced with a brilliant 104 clearance to level.
It was one-way traffic thereon. Runs of 33 and 43 saw Allen complete the turnaround, before he cleared with 109 in the fourth frame for a 3-1 advantage at the mid-session interval.
Brecel sought a response on the resumption of the contest, though Allen cancelled out his earlier 43 in frame five with 50. The Pistol then won a safety battle on the final red to move within a frame of victory.
The world number four got the better of another tactical exchange in the sixth frame, knocking a superb red along the side rail and into the top-right corner, which paved the way for a contribution of 31 that got him over the line.