Defending champion Allen defeats Jones to progress

 Defending champion Mark Allen secured his place in the semi-finals of the 2024 Champion of Champions tournament in Bolton, defeating Jak Jones 6-4 in Monday's Group One final.

Allen, ranked world number three, staged a strong comeback after falling 3-0 behind to his Welsh opponent. He responded with breaks of 72, 64, and 104, drawing level at 3-3. Allen then won the seventh frame with a 66 clearance, taking it by just one point, before adding another frame with an 82 break to move within one of victory. Jones, the 2024 World Championship finalist, mounted a brief revival, pulling back with a 104 in the ninth frame to reduce the gap to 5-4. However, Allen clinched the win by taking the 10th frame, sealing his semi-final spot.

Reflecting on his performance, Allen said: "The start wasn’t great, I was a bit off. But after that, I didn’t miss much. I upped my game and played well, even though I could have lost a couple of frames. It could have been 4-all, but it went 5-3, so from there I just had to stay focused."

Earlier in the day, Allen reached the final after beating Brazilian Igor Figueiredo 4-2 in their group match. Figueiredo took the opening frame, but Allen responded with breaks of 61 and 102 to go 2-1 ahead. After Figueiredo levelled the score at 2-2, Allen fired in a 107 break to regain the lead and sealed the win in the sixth frame.

Jones had advanced to the final by defeating Gary Wilson 4-2. Breaks of 106 and 53 helped him build a 3-0 lead, although Wilson fought back with a 120 break to take frame four and reduce the deficit to 3-2. Jones, however, finished strongly with a break of 132 to secure victory.

The Champion of Champions tournament features 16 players divided into four groups, with the winner of each group advancing to the semi-finals. The tournament's winner will receive a £150,000 first prize.