World number 52 Scott Donaldson achieved one of the best wins of his career when he defeated eighth seed Mark Allen in a late-night final on the third day of the UK Championships.
Donaldson, whose father Hector died on 2 October at the age of 70, was in tears as he walked onto the field before the match because the song he had chosen, David Gray’s Babylon, was one of his father’s favourites.
The 31-year-old Scot produced a major shock comeback from 5-0 down to beat former world champion Stuart Bingham 6-5 in the final qualifying round and Donaldson maintained that form at the York Barbican.
He led former world number one Allen 3-0, with the Northern Irishman, who wins this tournament in 2022, pulling one back before the mid-season break.
But in a match full of long, tough frames, one of which lasted an hour and the other nearly 50 minutes, Donaldson managed to come close to victory, before securing a 6–1 success.
There was drama on table two too, as a deciding frame was required for the first time in this year’s tournament, with China’s Zhang Anda winning 6-5 over England’s Gary Wilson.
Zhang will next play defending world champion Zhao Xintong of China after a 6-1 win over compatriot Long Zehuang in Monday’s afternoon session.
More to follow.
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