Home hero Mark Allen paid tribute to his dad after he made it a dream double at the Northern Ireland Open on Sunday night.
The slim-lined world No 10, who has shed an incredible five stone in four months, successfully defended his coveted crown at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall.
Lightning struck twice as hungry Antrim ace Allen, who beat John Higgins 9-8 last year from 8-6 behind, recovered from 4-1 down to hammer Chinese cueman Zhou Yuelong 9-4 in front of his army of faithful fans.
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The Ulster potter suffered heartache at the recent British Open as he lost in the showpiece final to Ryan Day.
But there was no repeat of that faltering finish as a stunning eight-frame burst saw ruthless Allen pocket a memorable seventh ranking title and the £80,000 top prize in fine style in his hometown.
Allen has thankfully come through some tough times off the table with bankruptcy and divorce proceedings and is back better than ever.
“I just want to give my dad a massive shout out,” said Allen, who immediately grabbed daughter Harleigh after winning a special title.
“He’s been with me through thick and thin. I feel like I talk about my mum a lot because of her health problems but he’s a machine for me and my family. He’s my hero.
“I’ve definitely made another amazing memory here.
“I feel like I won that match in the first session because I was hanging on and I managed to get out 4-4.
“I felt like I got out of jail, but I was really positive and played really well in the evening session.
“It’s brilliant that my last two wins have come in my hometown.
“It’s amazing to win in front of my home fans and my friends and families.
“This is what we do in Northern Ireland, we support our own.
“I feel like this is vindication for everything I’ve put in over the last few months. It makes it all worthwhile.”
The Pistol had previously failed to fire on home turf before defying the odds to pocket the Alex Higgins’ Trophy last term.
And he kept the famous trophy in Belfast as he triumphed again to secure the 16th spot at the upcoming Champion of Champions at the final attempt.
The first session was shared 4-4 as Allen recovered from 3-1 down with breaks of 68, 57 and 53.
And roared on by a packed boisterous Belfast crowd Allen romped to victory without dropping another frame with further runs of 109, 85, 51 and 50.
Zhou was desperate to make it third time lucky in his quest for a maiden ranking crown.
The world No 23 is one of only three players to be whitewashed in a multi-session final after his 9-0 defeat to Neil Robertson at the 2020 European Masters.
But his wait to become the seventh player from China to win a ranking title goes on.
Gutted Zhou said: “I lost concentration and couldn’t pot a ball after missing to go 5-1 up.
“Mark dominated the table. Congratulations to him.”
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