Stephen Hendry backs Mark Allen as a threat to win this year’s World Snooker Championship, but says the road to the title will be a struggle.
Pistol won the Players Championship on Sunday night, winning 10-8 in a hard-fought battle against Anda Zhang, thanks in large part to an impressive display of safety.
The world number three failed to find his scoring game and finished 18 frames with just a century and a half-century, but the title and top prize of £125,000 were thrown away.
This is the sixth title the 38-year-old has won since the start of last season, and Hendry believes his winning mentality and ability to compete even when he’s not scoring a lot will be dangerous in Sheffield this year. I feel it.
“For the last two years he’s won five or six events and is a back-to-back winner,” Hendry said on WST’s Snooker Club podcast. “Very, very hard to win.
“His safety play was really amazing. When he couldn’t score like he did in the first round, that was the foundation of his game and he could rely on that. Really. It was incredible.
“He should be considered one of the players who could win the World Championship in April, because he has an all-round game and can win in any way, not just relying on scoring. He’s very difficult to beat and will definitely be a threat in Sheffield.
“It’s the next step for him to win a world championship. He’s been winning regularly and in other tournaments, but now it’s important to build on the treble.”
However, Hendry had a word of warning for the Northern Irishman, saying the consistent, abrasive style of play during the long Crucible tournament could be very draining for the player.
Of course, Allen wants to knock a big break frame by frame, and it’s not as easy as just deciding, but Pistol will need to find a little more fluency if he is to win his first world title this year. maybe.
“What I’m saying is that if you play that type of snooker for 17 days with 30 seconds a shot, you get tired,” said the seven-time world champion. “He would rather win a game like the one against him.” [Mark] williams [in round one]he was incredible in terms of scoring.
“With the Crucible, we want to finish matches faster, without having to constantly spend long 40-minute frames or stay up all night playing.
“He’s got to find a mix. He’s fine to come back into this game if he needs to, but he’s got to find a mix that works better for Sheffield.”
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