Mark Allen loses first round at Players Championship

Mark Allen, the reigning champion of the Players Championship, was eliminated in the first round by Kyren Wilson. Wilson won the match 6-3 at the Telford International Centre. Wilson, who is ranked second in the world, started strong and quickly took a 3-1 lead after the first session. Allen, from Northern Ireland, managed to tie the match at 3-3 after the break. However, Wilson, 33, consistently outperformed Allen and won three consecutive frames to secure his victory. Following this win, Wilson will face Mark Williams in the quarter-finals. Williams advanced by defeating Ding Junhui 6-2. At 39 years old, Allen needed a win to keep his hopes alive for the Tour Championship. Now, he will focus on trying to win the World Snooker Championship for the first time at the Crucible next month.