Masters snooker: Mark Allen beats Ronnie O'Sullivan
Defending Masters champion Ronnie O'Sullivan was knocked out by Mark Allen at the quarter-final stage.
Defending champion and seven-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan is out of the Masters after a magnificent 6-1 quarter-final victory for Mark Allen at Alexandra Palace.
O'Sullivan won the first frame with a break of 75, despite calling a foul on himself as he cued over a red to attempt a difficult black.
But that was as good as it got for the five-time world champion as Allen responded to take the second frame with a break of 65.
That was followed by breaks of 115, 85 and 81, which gave Allen a 4-1 lead.
Breaks of 39 and 21 helped him to within one frame of victory.
Both players missed chances to take control of the seventh frame, before Allen grasped his opportunity to claim a notable scalp and his place in the semi-finals of the tournament which concludes on Sunday.
Allen was 40/1 to win 6-1 pre-match with Sky Bet - and 100/1 to triumph by that scoreline after O'Sullivan took the opening frame.
O'Sullivan, who has been struggling with illness, told BBC 2: "He deserved his win, it was one of those things, good luck to Mark.
"From my perspective I can rest up now and get ready for my next event. I had to show up, if I was a football player I would have missed this game.
"I'm struggling, I don't know if it's a virus, I've had it before and it's very difficult, I gave it a go."
Two-time former champion Mark Williams is out of the Masters.
The experienced Welshman lost 6-1 to English cueman Kyren Wilson at Alexandra Palace.
Wilson, playing in the Masters for just the second time, advances to the semi-finals.