Northern Ireland's Mark Allen knocked out in semi-finals of inaugural World Masters of Snooker in Riyadh by Luca Brecel

Brecel did not trouble the golden ball but he did summon four breaks over 70 to sink Allen and book a final showdown with either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Judd Trump in Saudi Arabia.

It continued a welcome return to form for the Belgian, who last month at the Welsh Open reached his first ranking quarter-final since his Crucible win.

Brecel compiled a break of 125 in the fourth frame to keep Allen at bay, although the Northern Irishman contributed to a high-quality contest with breaks of 121 and 133 in the third and fifth frames respectively.

Brecel told Eurosport: “I played good, I felt good. Every week, I seem to play a little bit better.

“Wales was the first step. I now feel very good about myself. Mark is so tough to beat. Every frame he plays the same way, and it’s very difficult to play against.”