MARK Allen had to win the hard way in his opening match at the BetVictor Welsh Open in Llandudno.
The Antrim man found himself staring defeat in the face when 3-1 behind against Cao Yupeng, but he stole frame five with a break of 70, levelled at 3-3 with a break of 101 and then kept his nerve to win a decider. He now faces Ma Hailong on Tuesday evening for a place in the last 32.
Allen’s Antrim club-mate Jordan Brown joins the action on Wednesday morning, when he will face English teenager Stan Moody, while Cork’s Aaron Hill takes on Mark Selby in the afternoon.
