Allen sees off Wilson to reach Crucible quarters

Former world number one Mark Allen defeated Kyren Wilson 13-9 in a thrilling contest to reach the World Championship quarter-finals.

Northern Ireland's Allen led 5-0 but then lost six successive frames to trail 6-5 against the 2024 winner.

But Allen had moved into a 9-7 advantage by the end of Friday's middle session and managed to win four of the six frames on Saturday to reach the last eight for a sixth time.

The 40-year-old's best performances at the Crucible came in 2009 and 2023 when he reached the semi-finals, and he will face either 2013 finalist Barry Hawkins or three-time world champion Mark Williams next.

Hawkins holds a 10-6 advantage, with that match to be played to a finish from 19:00 BST on Saturday.

Allen's quarter-final, another best-of-25-frame contest, will begin on Tuesday and finish on Wednesday.

Saturday looked set to provide a thrilling day of action at the Crucible, as seven world champions featured among the 12 players involved, with seven-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan facing four-time champion John Higgins at 19:00 BST.