Mark Allen vs David Gilbert Prediction: Expert an entertaining start from both players

During the first round of matches for the World Grand Prix competition, Mark Allen and David Gilbert will compete against one another. Mark Allen enters this match with a losing streak of two matches in a row, while David Gilbert has not won a single one of his previous four matches.

In 2004, Mark Allen won the World Amateur Championship. The following year, he turned professional, and it took him only three seasons to reach the top 16 in the world. In his fourth professional season, he was able to get all the way to the semi-finals of the 2009 World Championship by defeating the reigning champion, Ronnie O'Sullivan. However, he was eliminated by John Higgins, who went on to win the tournament. At the 2011 UK Championship, Allen made it all the way to the last round, but he was ultimately defeated by Judd Trump. The following year, at the 2012 World Open, he won his maiden ranking championship for the first time. To this day, he holds a total of eight ranking titles, the most recent of which is the 2022 UK Championship.

David Gilbert is a former World Snooker Young Player of Distinction, and he currently practices at the Potters Snooker and Pool Club in Swadlincote, Derbyshire. Gilbert is a co-owner of the club. Gilbert, who had never before been past the round of 16 in a ranking event, made it all the way to the final of the International Championship in 2015, where he was defeated by John Higgins 5–10. On January 22, 2019, he accomplished the landmark of making the 147th maximum break in the Championship League. When it came down to the final frame of the World Snooker Championship on May 4, 2019, he was defeated by John Higgins 16–17, which meant that he did not advance to the final for the first time in his career. After 22 years as a professional, on August 13, 2021, Gilbert earned his first global ranking title by defeating Mark Allen 3–1 in the final of the 2021 Championship League. This victory gave Gilbert his first-ever world ranking title.

We anticipate a battle to the death between the two competitors. David Gilbert has a strong record of victories versus Mark Allen, having prevailed over him in each of their most recent five encounters. However, despite the fact that Mark Allen is the favorite in this match, we anticipate it to be a difficult contest.