Mark Allen has revealed that he has withdrawn from the Wuhan Open in China next week due to a ‘family illness’.

The 38-year-old was set to head to the competition next week in good form after reaching the semi-finals of the British Open. However, his first-round opponent Jamie Clarke will now advance straight into the last 32 of the competition.

The Pistol qualified to compete at the event in July when beating Bai Yulu 5-1, but he has now turned his attention to being able to compete in his home event, the Northern Ireland Open, later this month.

Announcing his decision to withdraw from the Wuhan Open, Allen wrote on X: “I’d like to pass on my apologies to world snooker, the Chinese promoter, my sponsors and the Chinese fans but I have had to withdraw from the upcoming Wuhan Open due to a family illness.

“I hope to be back playing come Belfast but at this time I have to prioritize my family.”

Allen’s absence will be a boost to the hopes of defending champion Judd Trump, who won the competition for the fourth time last year. Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Kyren Williams are among those who will be hoping to prevent the 35-year-old from landing consecutive titles.

Allen’s decision to withdraw comes after he blasted Shaun Murphy online in a fresh war of words to leave snooker fans enthralled.

The spat sparked from Wilson complaining about playing on table two at the British Open, prompting Murphy to say on his podcast: “It’s about time the players understood that it’s about which match is the most attractive, the most exciting, which is going to pull more viewers in and that’s the one that will go first. It’s no more complicated than that.