Snooker · International
Wu edges Allen as German Masters last-16 field takes shape
Wu Yize beat Mark Allen 5–4 at the German Masters in Berlin on January 29, reversing the outcome of the two earlier meetings listed in the broadcaster's match record.
Event date:
Wu wins the deciding frame
Wu Yize beat Mark Allen 5–4 in the second round of the Machineseeker German Masters in Berlin on January 29. The nine-frame result sent the Chinese player into the last 16 and ended Allen's run one day after an emphatic opening victory. The broadcaster's match record identified two earlier meetings, both won by Allen: 4–1 at the English Open in October 2023 and 6–4 at the UK Championship in November 2024. Wu had also reached December's Scottish Open final, losing 9–5 to Lei Peifan. Wu therefore reversed that recent head-to-head pattern in the closest possible result at this stage. His next opponent was Switzerland's Alexander Ursenbacher, who eliminated former German Masters champion Ali Carter 5–0.
Allen had outlined his longer aim
Both players had progressed strongly on January 28, Allen beating David Lilley 5–0 and Wu defeating Jackson Page 5–1. The World Snooker Tour's preceding-round report recorded breaks of 74 and 71 for Allen. Afterwards, the Northern Irish player said his preparation for the remainder of the season was centred on the World Championship in Sheffield. He described practising longer matches and experimenting in search of a game that could remain effective over the championship's 17 days. Allen already held Masters and UK Championship titles, from 2018 and 2022 respectively, and the world title was the missing part of that Triple Crown set. He also praised Wu's potential before their meeting.
Wilson arranges a Crucible rematch
The same day's results produced another notable last-16 pairing. World champion Kyren Wilson recovered from 2–0 down to beat Zhou Yuelong 5–3. He needed a snooker in the third frame, obtained the penalty points and won on the black before levelling at the interval. Later breaks of 72 and 100 helped complete the recovery. Wilson's next opponent was Jak Jones, who beat John Higgins 5–3 with a century of 106. Their meeting would repeat the pairing from the 2024 World Championship final, while Wilson was also returning to competition shortly after losing January's Masters final to Shaun Murphy.
Other contenders' routes
Defending champion Judd Trump whitewashed Joe O'Connor 5–0, making five breaks of at least 75. Neil Robertson made four centuries but needed all nine frames to beat Hammad Miah 5–4, setting up a meeting with Trump. Murphy also won 5–0 against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and had not yet lost a frame in Berlin. The event was staged at the Tempodrom, the tournament's home since the World Snooker Tour first visited in 2011. Wednesday's results occupied the middle of the scheduled January 27–February 2 competition, establishing the next-round opponents before the field narrowed further.
Original sources
Read the underlying records.
Explore the official results, organiser reports or original research behind this story.