Early this morning, the final of the Players Championship was in full swing. Mark Allen, a post-80s star and ten-time champion, showed tenacious resilience and showed extraordinary resilience in the unfavorable situation of falling behind 0-3 at the beginning. He played steadily, gradually turned the tide, and finally reversed the score 7-6, rushed to the match point strongly, and is expected to win the crown of the Chinese player for the second consecutive year. Of course, Zhang Anda, who has risen to prominence this season, should not be underestimated, and the victory or defeat will depend on their on-the-spot performance.
Mark Allen is known as the nerve knife of the first gram world, not weak when strong, not strong when weak. However, his performance has gradually stabilized in recent seasons, especially after winning three consecutive ranking tournaments in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, which further confirmed his strength. This season, he proved himself once again by winning the single-game limited-time tournament and becoming a ten-time champion. In last season's British Championship final, he defeated Ding Junhui 10-7 and will compete with another Chinese player, Zhang Anda, for the title this season.
The game was extremely intense, and Zhang Anda showed his signature accuracy as soon as he came on the court, hitting two consecutive 70s to win three games in a row and take the lead. However, the small steel cannon that was down 0-3 did not panic, and overtook the opponent with a score of 4-1 in the first half, and the two sides returned to the same running line. In the second half, the two sides were evenly matched, and they fought until the first 12 games and 6 draws. In the 13th game, Zhang Anda made a mistake after scoring 30 points and was penalized by the opponent, while Mark Allen seized the opportunity to reverse the game with a shot of 64 points, leading the opponent 7-6, taking the advantage in a total of 19 rounds and attacking the championship with all his might.
Zhang Anda, who has been rejuvenated this season, has surprised Chinese fans, but against a top player like Xiao Gang Cannon, he will have to maintain enough mental fitness to stand a chance of beating his opponents. Judging by the course of the match, Dazai's feel has decreased and his unsolicited errors have increased, while Mark Allen will take those opportunities. Will his tradition of beating China in the final for the second year in a row continue?
This game is not only a contest of skill and strength, but also a duel of psychological quality and willpower. Regardless of the end result, we can learn a lot from it. For Mark Allen and Anda Zhang, they are both athletes worthy of our admiration, whether they win or lose, they all deserve our recognition and support.