Allen withdraws from Shenzhen Open, prolonging absence from tour

On 17 September 2026 Mark Allen withdrew from the forthcoming Shenzhen Open in China, extending his absence from professional tournament snooker. He had been scheduled to face Ben Mertens on the opening day of the event, which runs from 28 September to 4 October.

World Snooker Tour confirmed last week that Allen would not take part in qualifiers for the International Championship. The 40-year-old sat out both the British and English Opens, meaning he missed the first five ranking events of the season. He also did not enter the Championship League, China Open and Wuhan Open ranking tournaments and skipped the Shanghai Masters, a non-ranking event.

Allen, ranked world number 13, has not played in a professional event since losing to eventual winner Wu Yize in their World Championship semi-final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in early May.

The next tournament Allen is scheduled to compete in is his home event, the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast, from 18 to 25 October.