Next weekend, Mark Allen will be back in York to defend his MrQ UK Championship in an attempt to win a third Triple Crown championship.
In 2022–2023, the 37-year-old had the finest season of his career, adding a World Grand Prix and the UK title at the York Barbican to his collection of medals from the Northern Ireland Open.
Allen is aware that Triple Crown titles are the yardstick by which true snooker greats are judged, even though every title is valuable. These are the three elite competitions in the sport, two of which are held in Yorkshire: the UK Championship, which takes place next week, the Masters in January, and the World Championship, which concludes the season in Sheffield.
Having only won the Masters title prior to his win in York a year ago, the Antrim potter now has two.
Allen only needs it as inspiration when he heads back to Yorkshire the following week.
To put things into perspective, consider this: eleven players have won all three Triple Crowns in their lifetime, with Ronnie O’Sullivan—possibly the greatest player to ever pick up a snooker cue—having 21 titles, Stephen Hendry having 18 and Steve Davis having 16.
“It’s unbelievable that Donald Trump won 11 ranking events in just two seasons,” Allen stated during an interview for the official UK Championship program. “I would like carrying out that kind of work.
However, I don’t think anyone will remember the Gibraltar Open champion in 20, 30, or 40 years. Who won the Masters, the World Championship, and the UK Championship will stick in their memories.
Sadly for Judd, it is the current state of affairs. The big winners will stick in people’s memories.
He is outperforming me because I have only won two and he has won four. The final destination that each of us must reach is Ronnie’s victory in 21.
“Over the past 12 years, I’ve won a lot of tournaments, but in the end, you’ll be evaluated based on those bigger titles.” Prior to winning the UK Championship, my only victory was in the Masters.
“Getting a second on the board was fantastic, but I’m going to keep aiming for more.” It would be enormous to win the World Championship and get the Triple Crown.
“I’m definitely headed in the right direction—that is, toward what you want to pursue professionally.”
While winning the UK crown is difficult, most have found it difficult to hold onto it. Only Davis, O’Sullivan, and Hendry have achieved back-to-back victories.
Allen, who defeated Ding Junhui 10-7 in the championship match of the previous year, is sure he can join that exclusive group as the fourth member.
“I’ve previously defended two tournaments. Allen, who will face one of the 16 qualifiers in the opening round of this year’s UK Championship next Saturday afternoon, stated, “I know I can do it.” “I’ll just concentrate on my game, have fun, and see where it leads.” As the reigning champion, I should feel less pressure going there because I’ve already done it.
It’ll be a unique experience. Winning these significant competitions and being named the reigning champion the next year is the reason we play the game. appearing live on TV in crowded arenas.
“That is what we want to do. It is only the second time I’ll have done it in a major and perhaps there will be more to come.”
The victory Allen had in York the previous year was undoubtedly a wild ride.
Despite falling behind 2-0 to Jordan Brown and Kyren Wilson, 4-2 to Sam Craigie, and 5-3 to Jack Lisowski in the semifinals, he persevered and made progress.
Then, in the championship match, he trailed Sheffield-based Ding, who, like Allen, had won the UK crown three times and the Masters but not the coveted Crucible title, 6-1, before rallying to win 10-7.
Working with Paul Gaffney, a sport psychologist, and implementing a new exercise regimen proved beneficial.
“In York last year, the psychological aspect was really significant to me,” he remarked. “I trailed in every single match that week by two or more frames.
“I was constantly falling behind and struggling against it, and I didn’t have my best stuff.” I persevered and gave myself an opportunity. Even though I was far behind Ding in the championship match, I played some of my best tennis of the week toward the end of the match. Giving it your all when circumstances call for it is a positive indication.
“Can I win the next frame?’ is the question you should ask yourself, regardless of how far down you are.
“Yes is usually the answer in the end. You will gradually re-enter the contest if you continue doing that. After defeating Ding 6-1 to 6-4, I felt that I had a good chance of winning. He began to miss a couple as I thought I had turned the corner in the game. I didn’t get ahead of myself too quickly and I was patient.
