Mark Allen (snooker player)

Mark Allen (born 22 February 1986) is a Northern Irish professional snooker player from Antrim. As an amateur player, he won the European Championship and World Amateur Championship in 2004. He turned professional in 2005 and entered the top 16 in the snooker world rankings after only three seasons on the tour. He won his first ranking title at the 2012 World Open, defeating Stephen Lee 10–1 in the final; he has since won a career total of 12 ranking titles. He has won two Triple Crown titles, having defeated Kyren Wilson 10–7 to win the 2018 Masters and Ding Junhui by the same score to win the 2022 UK Championship. He has twice reached the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship, in 2009 and 2023.

The 2022–23 season was the best of Allen's career to date as he reached four ranking finals, won three ranking titles and reached number three in the world rankings. He was ranked world number one from May to August 2024. He has compiled over 600 century breaks in professional competition, including five maximum breaks, and is the only player to have made maximum breaks in all three Triple Crown events.