Northern Ireland's Mark Allen knocked out in semi-finals of inaugural World Masters of Snooker in Riyadh by Luca Brecel
![Mark Allen was defeated by Luca Brecel on Wednesday. PIC: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire.](https://www.newsletter.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjkyOGVkMjJmLTM0M2QtNGYzNS04NzhmLTExMDQ2OGNhZDM1MjoxNDIzNzY4Mi1hNDQwLTQ1M2UtOGI5Ni1lYjllZWQwNzFjM2E=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&trim=&width=640&quality=65&enable=upscale)
![Mark Allen was defeated by Luca Brecel on Wednesday. PIC: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire.](/img/placeholder.png)
Brecel did not trouble the golden ball but he did summon four breaks over 70 to sink Allen and book a final showdown with either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Judd Trump in Saudi Arabia.
It continued a welcome return to form for the Belgian, who last month at the Welsh Open reached his first ranking quarter-final since his Crucible win.
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Hide AdBrecel compiled a break of 125 in the fourth frame to keep Allen at bay, although the Northern Irishman contributed to a high-quality contest with breaks of 121 and 133 in the third and fifth frames respectively.
Brecel told Eurosport: “I played good, I felt good. Every week, I seem to play a little bit better.
“Wales was the first step. I now feel very good about myself. Mark is so tough to beat. Every frame he plays the same way, and it’s very difficult to play against.”