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Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen produced a sensational recovery as he fought back from 6-1 down to beat Ding Junhui 10-7 and win his first UK Championship.
Ding, 35, looked in complete control with three centuries in the opening seven frames on his way to what would have been a fourth UK success.
But Allen took the last frame of the afternoon session and the first six in the evening as the match swung around.
Ding made 105 in the 15th frame, but Allen clinched a sensational win.
The match, which did not finish until 23:30 GMT, will be regarded as one of the most enthralling UK Championship finals in the 45-year history of the tournament.
Allen, 36, had been declared bankrupt in May 2021 and previously said he was ‘spending the money as quickly as he earned it’, but this victory sees him collect the £250,000 top prize.
It continues a remarkable few months for him after he decided to change his life in the summer with an intensive fitness routine that saw him lose five stone in weight in a four-month period.
Since then he has now won back-to-back ranking events after clinching the Northern Ireland Open last month and also reaching the final of the British Open in October.
He is fifth in the world rankings and this was his second victory in a ‘Triple Crown’ event after clinching the 2018 Masters with a win over Kyren Wilson.
More to follow.
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