The World Snooker Tour have recently confirmed that Mark Allen will miss the upcoming English Open for personal reasons.
The world number 13 has recently pulled out of the British Open, which is currently taking place in Cheltenham, having previously been absence from the Championship League, China Open Wuhan Open and Shanghai Masters events.
The news means the Northern Irish star has now missed all six of the opening tournaments of the new season, with no timescale on when he will stage his return.
Why isn't Mark Allen playing in the English Open?
It's not known why Mark Allen will not be in Brentwood to defend the title he won there 12 months ago, with the WST announcing that he will be absent for 'personal reasons'.
The 40-year-old captured the English Open title in 2025 courtesy of a dramatic final frame victory over Chinese star Zhou Yuelong; a victory that secured him a 12th ranking success of his career and propelled him back into the world's top 10.
However, despite being scheduled to get his campaign underway against Sam Craigie on Monday 7th September, the Pistol's decision to withdraw means his opponent has received a bye to the last 32.
How many events has Mark Allen missed this season?
Mark Allen's absence from the English Open means he has missed all six of the opening ranking and non-ranking tournaments of the 2026/27 season.
After pulling out of the Championship League earlier this summer, he subsequently opted to skip the China Open and Wuhan Open events in China, posting the following message on social media.
"I am gutted to miss these two events in China and my apologies to the fans and promoters in Taiyuan and Wuhan.
"I love playing in China and appreciate the support we always get there, but there are personal reasons why I can't make it this time.
"I hope to be back playing in China later this season."
Allen, who agonisingly missed a routine match ball against Wu Yize in the semi-final of the 2026 World Snooker Championship, has also withdrawn from the Shanghai Masters and British Open.
He's made no further public comments about his ongoing absence.
When did Mark Allen last play snooker?
Mark Allen hasn't played a competetive match since his 17-16 defeat at the hands of Wu Yize at the Crucible in May.
The Antrim star looked set to secure a spot in the final of the WST's showpiece competition after moving 16-14 ahead in the best-of-33 showdown.
However, Yize, who ultimately went on to win the event, prevailed in each of the three final frames of the match to squeeze through at the 40-year-old's expense, before beating Shaun Murphy in another final frame shootout in the tournament decider.
