MARK Allen is out of the Machineseeker German Masters in Berlin after losing 5-4 to Wu Yize in the last 32, but Cork’s Aaron Hill has reached the last 16.
Allen had led the Chinese prospect 2-0 and 4-2, but the world number 25 won three frames in a row to seal victory. He will now face Switzerland’s Alexander Ursenbacher, who beat Ali Carter 5-0.
Hill, meanwhile, followed his win over Mark Williams with an emphatic 5-1 success over Jimmy Robertson and will now face Tom Ford on Thursday evening.
Allen established his early lead despite Wu getting in first in both of the first two frames. A 53 counter clearance allowed the world number four to steal the first on the black by a single point and Wu passed up several good chances before Allen fought his way back into a scrappy second to win it on the colours.
Allen had a 54 break in the third frame after Wu had again fashioned the first scoring chance, but this time Allen couldn’t defend his lead and a last-red-to-black clearance got Wu in the board.
Wu levelled at the mid-session interval thanks to a break of 72, which comprised of the first nine reds with blacks. Allen still had a chance of stealing the frame when he missed the 10th red but he couldn’t capitalise.
He did, however, assume control again after the break with a run of 50 in frame five and then moved to within one of victory with an early 56 in frame six proving enough.
A break of 64 kept Wu’s hopes alive and he then forced the decider in stunning fashion with a 133 total clearance.
It looked like being the Chinese player’s day when he scored 33 off an outrageous fluked red early in the deciding frame, but Allen still had his chances to battle his way back into the frame.
He couldn’t take them, however, and Wu wrapped up the win when he potted the third last red
World number one Judd Trump thrashed Joe O’Connor 5-0 to reach the last 16.
Trump made breaks of 77, 76, 75, 80 and 100 in a ruthless performance, with O’Connor restricted to a total of 75 points in a one-sided contest.
World champion Kyren Wilson fought back from 2-0 down to beat Zhou Yuelong 5-3. Zhou took the first two frames with breaks of 130 and 67 and another half century edged him 3-2 in front after Wilson had got back on level terms.
However, Wilson reeled off the last three frames in a row with the aid of breaks of 72 and 100 to book his place in the next round.
World Championship runner-up Jak Jones also came from 2-0 down to beat John Higgins 5-3.
Cork’s Aaron Hill, who knocked out three-times world champion Mark Williams in the last 64, was taking on Jimmy Robertson in the evening session.
