Davis beaten by on song Allen

World number nine Allen, who reached the semi-finals two years ago, made a blistering start at Alexandra Palace with a 136 total clearance in the opening frame.

St Leonards-based Davis, the world number 16, hit back to win two of the next three frames with a top run of 62 to make it 2-2 at the interval.

World Open champion Allen then took control as breaks of 79 and 42 put him 4-2 ahead. The Northern Irishman clinched a scrappy seventh frame on the colours before sealing victory in the next with an 80.

He now meets defending champion Neil Robertson, a 6-5 winner over Ding Junhui yesterday afternoon, on Thursday in what looks set to be a high quality second round encounter.

It was the first time that Davis had featured in the prestigious invitation event for 16 of the world’s top players for 10 years and reward for the best season of his career.

The 40-year-old has reached three full ranking event semi-finals during the 2012/13 campaign, as well as winning the Six Reds World Championship in Thailand.