Mark Allen vs Fan Zhengyi Preview & Prediction | 2025 World Snooker Championship | First Round

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Mark Allen and Fan Zhengyi meet in the first round of the World Snooker Championship for the second time in three years.

Start date/time: Sunday 20th April, 2025: UK – 2:30pm / US ET – 9:30am / US PT – 6:30am

How to watch on TV: UK – BBC & TNT Sports / US – Not televised

How to watch online: UK – BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website & discovery+ / US – Cannot be streamed

Tickets: Visit here for the latest ticket information

Mark Allen vs Fan Zhengyi prediction

World number eight Mark Allen displayed some promising form towards the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, winning the Riyadh Season Championship and reaching the last four at both the Champion of Champions and the Masters.

However, the Northern Irishman has suffered three straight first-round exits in events leading up to Sheffield, and didn’t manage to qualify for the most recent tournament – the Tour Championship. He has publicly stated that his “confidence is on the floor” so that does not bode well for his World Championship hopes.

His first-round opponent, Fan Zhengyi, battled through two rounds of qualifying to make it to the Crucible for the second time in his career, his previous entry seeing him lose to Allen 10-5 in the very same round in 2023.

With Allen struggling for form and confidence, this looks like a potential banana skin for the Pistol, and we think this one could go closer than their previous Crucible clash.

Mark Allen vs Fan Zhengyi tip: Over 15 frames