Snooker: Mark Allen claims World Open

Mark Allen cruised to the first ranking title of his career as he crushed Stephen Lee 10-1 in the World Open final in China.

Allen, the Northern Irishman who is the subject of possible disciplinary action after criticising the tournament venue last week, eased into a 5-0 lead against Lee, who has enjoyed a career resurgence of late. After early century breaks of 104 and 127, Allen finished off the first session with a run of 123 to lead 8-1. The world number 10 then won both frames after the restart to pick up a cheque for £75,000.

“I played pretty well. I started out well and put Stephen under pressure,” Allen said. “It’s been a long time coming as I’ve been a pro for seven years now. Sometimes you question if you’re ever going to win one.”

Allen, who lost to Judd Trump in the UK Championship final in December, made headlines on Thursday when he criticised conditions as “horrendous” after a 5-4 win over Trump. Allen followed that with more Twitter comments on Friday when he complained about high temperatures in the tournament arena during his win over Mark King. The Northern Irishman fought back from 5-2 down to beat Mark Selby 6-5 in the semi-finals on Saturday, while Lee had beaten Robert Milkins 6-2.

Each of the major tournaments this season have produced a different winner – Stuart Bingham, Mark Selby, Trump, Neil Robertson, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Ding Junhui and now Allen – signalling the game’s strength in depth ahead of next month’s World Championships.