Two-time UK champion Selby loses in first round

Mark Selby won the UK Championship in 2012 and 2016

Two-time UK Championship winner Mark Selby lost in the first round of the 2024 event as fellow Englishman Jack Lisowski produced a superb fightback at the York Barbican on Sunday evening.

Lisowski, 21st in the world rankings, was 3-0 behind and had only scored six points as Selby dominated the early stages with two stunning centuries.

But Lisowski got back into the match and, aided by breaks of 55, 63, 100, 70 and 61, won six of the next seven frames to take the victory 6-4 and set up a last-16 tie with Ali Carter.

A shock did not look on the cards when Selby scored 329 points in the opening three frames, with Lisowski, who battled through two qualifying rounds, only potting a red and a blue.

However, Selby felt a failure to go 4-0 in front proved critical.

"I played well to go 3-0 then I misjudged a red in the next frame and that was probably the turning point of the match," said Selby.

"If I had gone 4-0 I would've broken the back of the match, but Jack played well and I know he is capable of that. When his mind is right, he is capable of beating anyone.

"I feel my game is OK and I'm losing to great players."

Selby was the fifth seed and his defeat comes after top seed and reigning champion Ronnie O'Sullivan was beaten 6-4 by Barry Hawkins on Saturday afternoon.

"It's all a bit of a blur," said Lisowski, who plays Ali Carter in the last 16.

"I played well, good safety and good scoring. Wherever I go I play quite risky snooker so the crowd always wants to see something and make a game of it.

"There's something about the crowd at York. It's really grown here and it's turned into an incredible tournament and the crowd are a part of that."

Allen frustrated after 'awful' win over Page

Mark Allen will play either Si Jiahui or Wu Yize in the last 16 of the UK Championship

Former world number one Mark Allen said his game "is not in a good place" after an "awful" performance as he battled to a 6-4 win over Jackson Page in the opening round.

Northern Ireland's Allen, who won the tournament two years ago, only made one break of 50 against 23-year-old Page, a player 41st in the rankings and in his first last-32 match at the UK Championship.

"It wasn't fun to be part of that match," said Allen. "I'm just playing like that all the time and it's hard to put my finger on why, that's the frustrating thing.

"I got the job done and that's pretty much it, it was awful. I'm not in a good place with my game, everything else is fine but with snooker I'm just struggling.

"I'm probably trying too hard, I just needed to give 100 per cent on every shot and nothing is coming easy for me."

Mark Allen won the 2022 UK Championship and lost in the final in both 2011 and 2018

Allen reached the top of the world rankings for the first time in his career after the World Championship in May, before he was replaced by Judd Trump at the end of August.

Now third in the world, the 38-year-old has reached two semi-finals in 2024-25, losing to Mark Selby at the British Open in September and against Xiao Guodong in the Champion of Champions earlier this month.

Welshman Page led 3-2 but Allen, an 11-time ranking event winner, made his experience count as he won four of the next five frames to clinch victory.

However, Allen, who plays either China's Si Jiahui or Wu Yize in the last 16, was left bemused by his lack of form.

"I'm doing all the things that got me to world number one, working really hard on the practice table but it's not coming easy," he added. "I'm hoping one performance turns it around but I feel a million miles away from that.

"Jackson is a brilliant talent but not very experienced on the big stage so I thought I would take advantage of that and it nearly backfired.

"It's not fun, I'm not going to lie - I couldn't enjoy any part of that match. It's unsettling given how much I practice, and considering how hard I've been working. I'm probably not as far as I think I am, I'm my worst critic."

Carter into second round for first time since 2012

In the other match in the afternoon session, England's Carter defeated Welshman Ryan Day 6-4.

Carter has twice lost in the semi-finals of the UK Championship, but had not won a match in the later stages of the tournament since his 9-8 loss to Shaun Murphy in the final four in 2012.

"It's all about getting a win," said Carter. "Wins have been hard to come by of late and it has zapped my confidence. It was hard work from start to finish.

"I found the table was quite heavy and to screw back was quite different, but you have to play on whatever the table is like.

"I've had some good times here, but mostly terrible ones. I was 8-4 up in the [2012] semi-finals against Shaun Murphy and that went wrong 9-8 and I've not had too much success since then.

"Everything is so dependent on doing well in the big ranking events. I've not had a good run here for a long time so let's hope it leads to one this year."

In the last match of the night, China's 13th seed Si Jiahui lost 6-4 to compatriot Wu Yize.