Neil Robertson v Mark Allen live stream | Riyadh Season Snooker Championship Semi-Final preview
Robertson and Allen collide in Riyadh
Neil Robertson locks horns with Mark Allen in the first of the semi-final showdowns at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship on Friday.
The two left-handers collide at the Global Theatre in Boulevard City for the right to take on either Judd Trump or Zhao Xintong in the final.
It is an interesting clash, too, between the player who triumphed in the most recent tournament in Saudi Arabia, and the defending champion of this event.
Robertson has prevailed in four of the previous five semi-final meetings between the players in professional competition, though Allen did prevail in their most recent such clash at the 2022 Northern Ireland Open.
The Pistol went on to lift the trophy in Belfast, and this contest will mark their sixth straight showdown from which the winner has gone on to at least reach the final.
Robertson is aiming to make it back-to-back wins in the Kingdom, having triumphed at the Saudi Arabia Masters in August, scooping the bumper top prize of £500,000.
The Thunder made a strong start to his quest on Thursday, taking just 43 minutes to complete a 4-0 rout of Kyren Wilson.
Robertson opened with back-to-back centuries of 100 and 103, before further breaks of 88 and 76 sealed the victory, during which he outscored the Warrior by 421 points to 26.
Allen, by contrast, was not quite as free-scoring against John Higgins, but still reeled off the final three frames for a 4-2 win.
The Pistol now looks to remain on course for his second Riyadh Season Snooker Championship crown, having lifted this trophy 11 months ago after a commanding 5-1 victory over Luca Brecel in the final.
It was also be his second silverware of the season, after returning to the ranking winners’ circle at the English Open in September.
The match breaks off at 2pm GMT (5pm local time) on Friday and will be contested over the best of seven frames at the Global Theatre in Boulevard City, Riyadh.
WATCH THE RIYADH SEASON SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP STREAMED LIVE
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