Ronnie predictably smashed Tom Ford, but Allen prevailed 6-5 after a tense match that could have gone either way. Allen afterwards did his best Ronnie impression, i.e. claimed he was playing crap. So who knows today?
BBC ran an ego-stroking effort on Ronnie in the final interval, so it's just as well he won 10-6 really. I don't recall at what time this whole "Triple Crown" rubbish started, and whether it was a BBC invention or Barry H himself, but it's not as impressive as they seem to think, and gets less so the more they drone on about it.
James Cahill KO'd David Gilbert, who was less than chuffed to get beat.
Hawkins hit a 147 on his way to a victory.
Mark Williams won through and then moaned that he'd rather be playing golf.
Eden Sharav scored a notable upset in beating Tubs Murphy and I hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
BBC coverage starts today. I get so used to Eurosport/Quest that the premise of an event with no coverage for days on end seems peculiar.
Hard to see past the usual suspects.
Trump, O'Sullivan, Robertson and Alllen the frontrunners I suspect.
Cahill was brought down by the fearsome Anthony Hamilton.
Barry Hawkins went out too. Mark Williams, Ricky Walden and Kyren Wilson count among the other higher-profile exits.