Northern Ireland's number one Mark Allen defeated Richie Wharton 6-3 to reach the final of the Northern Ireland Open, ecstatic to the enthusiastic audience.
It was the first time 2018 Masters champion Allen had reached the final at a home event at the World Snooker Tour. The player from Antrim has struggled previously at the Northern Ireland Open, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in 2016. Allen admits that he was extra nervous about playing in Belfast.
Tonight's final features a 17-inning, 9-win format where Allen will face four-time world champion John Higgins for the 'Alex Higgins Trophy' and a £70,000 championship prize. The goal of the "Little Steel Cannon" is to win another trophy since the 2018 Scottish Open.
This week marks the first time since the 2016 China Open that Wharton has reached the semifinals of the ranking tournament. The player from Chester reached the final four and will return home with £20,000.
Belfast fans are delighted to see their home players leading 2-0. However, Walton scored two consecutive sets to shoot a single 80 points and headed into the second half at a 2-2 draw.
Allen regained the lead after half-time and then took the 6th inning with a marathon 51 minutes to take a 4-2 lead. He then scored a brilliant single-shot 133 in the seventh inning to make it 5-2. Walton scored basketball in the colored round to take home the eighth inning, but then Allen ended the game with a single 73 points to win 6-3.
"My head was buzzing. I tried to stay calm though because the task wasn't done yet. I will draw a lot of positives from today's play. Allen, 35, said.
"I try not to think too much about my opponents, no matter who it is, no matter what the game. To be honest, however, it's a bit strange that I hope to play John (Higgins) tomorrow. He's one of the great players in history and the atmosphere will be amazing to face him in front of my home fans. ”
"I think the atmosphere today was excellent, but I found that the belfast fans were so respectful. They never yell when you hit the ball, at the wrong time, or just to get your opponent out. It's never been like that here. My dad probably did the most, he always applauded my opponent's batting, it was so annoying! That's part of the atmosphere. ”