Mark Allen only rated his performance at ‘three or four out of 10’ as he beat Jak Jones in the World Championship quarter-final, knowing he has to improve if he is to win a huge semi-final contest.
The Pistol will be taking on either John Higgins or Mark Selby in the last four, a stern test for anyone, especially a player who is yet to reach the final at the Crucible.
Allen appears to be a very different prospect this season, though, having won three ranking titles and making the semis in Sheffield for only the second time, and doing so without hitting top form regularly.
He is well aware he was not at his best against Jones, but was pleased with how he dealt with the match and picked up the result.
‘I don’t mean this to sound bad to Jak, but that was maybe a three or four out of 10 performance, it really wasn’t good,’ Allen told the BBC.
‘But mentally I was like a 12 out of 10, I was ready for everything. Sometimes that’s more important.
‘It’s easy to want to play well. I’d love to play well, making breaks all the time, but it’s not about that. That’s a match I would have lost a few years ago.’
On whether he has a preference in facing Higgins or Selby, he said: ‘No. They’re two of the all-time greats.
‘In a weird way it would be great for me if John got through because John beat me in ’09 in the semis. So not revenge in anyway, but it would be great to have that experience against him again.
‘It would also be great to play Selby, a four-time world champion. It’s going to be a great occasion, I just need to play better.’
Higgins and Selby finished their first session on Tuesday at 4-4 and play to a finish over two sessions on Wednesday.
MORE : Mark Allen beats Jak Jones to reach first World Championship semi-final for 14 years
MORE : Jack Lisowski could be the next Ronnie O’Sullivan but he’s not winning, says John Virgo
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