Mark Allen admits this season has been one of his worst in terms of performances, but the Northern Ireland player heads to the World Championship seeking redemption at the Crucible Theatre. The world number 14 begins his bid for a first world title against China's Zhang Anda in a first-round match that starts Saturday and finishes Sunday.

Despite his disappointing campaign, Allen won the English Open and reached the semi-finals of four other ranking events. "It's been a strange season... I feel like I've been playing really, really poorly," the 40-year-old admitted. He's suffered early exits in Sheffield in both of the past two years, including round-two defeats, though he was a two-time semi-finalist at the tournament in 2022 and 2023.

Zhang Anda, ranked 22nd in the world, has yet to win a match at the Crucible in five previous appearances. Allen noted his opponent played excellently in qualifying, scoring five centuries in his final match. The winner will face either defending champion Kyren Wilson or teenage qualifier Stan Moody in the second round.