Mark Allen Criticizes World Grand Prix Rules Following O'Sullivan Withdrawal

Mark Allen lost to Jimmy Robertson 4-2 in the first round of the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong, despite leading early with breaks of 50 and 63. Robertson, who is ranked 36th in the world, came back to win four consecutive frames, securing his place in the next round against Mark Selby. Allen, who also faced an early exit at the World Open last week, has expressed concerns about fairness in tournament entry rules after two players outside the top 32 were called in as replacements for Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Maguire, who withdrew due to health issues. He argued that it is unjust for players who did not qualify to compete for prize money and ranking points while the original players leave empty-handed. Allen suggested that replacement players should only compete for prize money, not ranking points, and proposed the idea of granting walkovers to the original opponents of withdrawn players. The tournament saw other notable matches, including Selby narrowly defeating Jackson Page 4-3 and Neil Robertson dominating Yuan Sijun 4-0.