Mark Allen to miss British, English Opens due to personal reasons

Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen will miss the forthcoming British Open and English Open for personal reasons, the World Snooker Tour has confirmed on Wednesday.

The world number 13 has already missed the Championship League, China Open and Wuhan Open ranking events, as well as the Shanghai Masters, a non-ranking tournament.

His absence from the British and English Opens means Allen will have missed the first five ranking events of the new season.

The 39-year-old was due to defend his English Open title after winning the tournament at Brentwood last year.

He had been scheduled to face Wang Xinbo in the opening round of the British Open before a first-round meeting with Sam Craigie in the English Open.

Allen’s most recent competitive appearance came at the World Championship in Sheffield in May, where he suffered a dramatic 17-16 semi-final defeat by eventual champion Wu Yize.

The Antrim player came agonisingly close to reaching the final after missing a straight black from its spot in the penultimate frame, which would have put him on the brink of victory.

Allen’s continued absence will be a significant setback as the new season gathers pace, particularly after his impressive run to the English Open title last year.

The British Open is scheduled to take place in Cheltenham from 31st August to 6th September, with the English Open following from 7th to 13th September.