Mark Allen needs to shrug off a niggling illness ahead of his showdown with the Rocket at the Betfred World Championship.
Northern Ireland’s top potter feared he may have Covid for a frustrating second time and be painfully forced to withdraw from the sport’s marquee event.
But Antrim ace Allen dozed up on decongestant and headache tablets to help see off dogged Scott Donaldson 10-6 to set up a tasty second-round date with Ronnie O’Sullivan.
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A sniffly Allen revealed: “I’ve been feeling a little bit rubbish the last 10 days or so.
“I was convinced I had Covid, but I’ve been testing every day and praying I wasn’t positive and miss the World Championship.
“Thankfully I’ve been negative everyday. I’ve been feeling a bit better but then when I got out there the bright lights and the heat hit me and I started feeling awful again.
“I had to go out and take some tablets after one of the frames.
“I have a few days off now to rest so hopefully I’ll be all firing for Friday.”
Allen locks horns with the Rocket in the biggest tie of the last 16 on Friday.
The Pistol famously sent O’Sullivan packing at the same stage in 2009 en route to his only semi-final appearance at the sport’s spiritual Sheffield home.
“I know how tough the challenge is,” admitted Allen.
“But Ronnie’s played here 30 times and he’s only won it six of those times so he’s lost 24 of those.
“Hopefully I can make that 25, I’m relishing the challenge like I always do against Ronnie.”
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