Mark Allen hits 700th career century in Crucible fightback against Barry Hawkins

Mark Allen produced a landmark moment in his career as he compiled the 700th century break of his professional journey, during a dramatic fightback against Barry Hawkins in the Halo World Championship quarter-finals here at the Crucible Theatre on Tuesday.

Allen recovered impressively from 7-4 down to draw level at 8-8 after two absorbing sessions, keeping alive his hopes of reaching a third semi-final appearance.

The first-to-13 contest resumes on Wednesday morning, with the winner set to face either Wu Yize or Hossein Vafaei.

Hawkins, who led for long spells, may reflect on missed opportunities, particularly in the closing stages of the session when he failed to capitalise on a chance to move 9-7 ahead overnight.

The opening frame of the evening was tightly contested, with Hawkins missing chances at both pink and black, allowing Allen to edge closer.

Hawkins responded strongly with breaks of 89 and 96, before Allen regained control, narrowing the deficit to 7-5. The quality then lifted further as Allen fired in back-to-back centuries of 138 and 131, either side of Hawkins’ superb 140 clearance.

In the final frame of the session, Allen faltered on 27 and again on 61, while Hawkins also let chances slip on 50, leaving the match finely balanced heading into the final day.

Elsewhere, defending champion Zhao Xintong staged his own recovery, battling back from 8-6 down to finish 8-8 against Shaun Murphy.

Zhao compiled his eighth century of the tournament, a brilliant 117, while Murphy contributed a fine 90 and a 65 break in a high-quality encounter.

The pair return on Wednesday afternoon, with the winner to meet either Neil Robertson or John Higgins in the semi-finals.