ASHLEY HUGILL suffered a 5-0 whitewash to reigning Cazoo UK champion Mark Allen in the BetVictor English Open quarter-finals.

World number five Allen made a bright start at Essex’s Brentwood Centre, scoring breaks of 62 and 61 en route to winning the opener 123-0.

Melbourne’s Hugill responded with a 50 break in the second frame but Allen potted the final black to pinch it 68-64.

Allen, who won the UK Championship at the York Barbican last month, knocked in a match-high 109 century break, winning the third frame 110-24, to move 3-0 in front.

The Belfast man then moved within a frame of victory by claiming frame four 102-24.

2018 Masters champion Allen secured his place in the semi-finals through a 77 break to see him take the final frame 77-14.

Despite not winning a frame, Hugill could leave Essex more than satisfied, achieving a quarter-final appearance in a ranking event for the first time in his career, having turned professional in 2017.

In his final event of the year, the 28-year-old also picked up £11,000 in prize money.

Allen went on to suffer a 6-2 defeat in the semi-finals to world number 11 Luca Brecel.

Elsewhere, Hugill has learned his opponent for the first round of the Shoot Out.

The world number 98 faces Wales’ world number 89 Andrew Pagett on Wednesday, January 25 at Leicester’s Morningside Arena.

The unique event comprises of 10-minute one-frame matches, with players having 15 seconds per shot for the first five minutes and 10 seconds per shot for the last five minutes.

Hugill has twice reached the third round of the Shoot Out, in 2017 and 2018, while Pagett has progressed to the second round on each of his two appearances in competition, in 2020 and 2022.