Antrim ace Mark Allen is the latest snooker champion to be the victim of a turkey shoot after the Christmas break.
The Northern Irishman became the fourth consecutive UK champion to be knocked out of the Masters at the first hurdle yesterday as he was whitewashed 6-0 by Barry Hawkins.
Allen was the fourth seed to be sent packing in the first five matches at the Alexandra Palace and he believes the top players are most vulnerable in the first round.
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Indeed, since winning the Masters in 2018, Allen has not won a match since in the competition.
He added: “I’ve said it every year, and even the year I won, I feel like the Christmas break doesn’t do me any good. I need a run of tournaments to get myself sharp.
“The top players could be most vulnerable in the first round. I saw Neil Robertson really struggled.
“I’m not sure what everybody’s routines are, some might take an extended break, but there’s no coincidence that four of the first five seeds have lost.
“It shows how good the other players are. If you’re nine to 16 in the world you’re not doing too badly and it’s no disgrace losing to those guys.”
After his stellar 2022, Allen was brought crashing back down to earth with a bang as last year's Masters finalist again found form at the Ally Pally.
“It was a phenomenal safety display from Barry. It’s probably the best I’ve faced in my career,” admitted gracious Allen, who made a top break of just 45.
“I played John Higgins at the Crucible one year and lost 13-9 and his safety was phenomenal, but Barry’s was right up there. It was an incredible performance.
“The amount of times I came to the table and have no shot was incredible. It wasn’t even a tough shot, I just had no shot at times.
“I’ve not won a match here since I lifted the trophy, but there’s nothing in that. I just haven’t played well enough.
“I’ve had a couple of hammerings here and against Dave Gilbert, but the other three I lost 6-5 to top players and just haven’t got over the line.
“It’s a tough school. You come here and you’re playing against the best in the world.”
The Hawk swooped into the quarter-finals with breaks of 76 and 114.
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