Mark Allen admitted that he finds snooker rival Jack Lisowski ‘frustrating’ to watch due to the unpredictability of his performances. Allen defeated the 33-year-old 4-3 at the Scottish Open in a tight contest in Edinburgh.

Lisowski had an excellent chance to win the deciding frame in the first-to-four contest but was unable to pot a red. Allen took advantage of the opportunity and made no mistake – doing just enough to secure a victory and head into the quarter-final.

The inconsistent performances of Lisowski have come under scrutiny in recent months. Allen revealed that while it is ‘great’ to play Jackpot, he has grown frustrated watching a player who he is a huge fan of, insisting he would love to know what thoughts go through Lisowski’s head during matches.

“I thought it was a good game, there were a few mistakes, but it was a good game. It’s always a tough match against Jack,” Allen told Eurosport.

“It’s frustrating at times watching him, it’s obviously great when he’s doing that when you’re playing against him, but as someone who really enjoys watching Jack play, you’d love to know what’s going on in his head.

“He plays some unbelievable snooker, looks great and then misses one in the balls that you don’t expect at all.”

Allen was asked what advice he would give to Lisowski to improve his consistency and help him win his first major title.

The Pistol responded: “I would need to know what he’s thinking out there because his technique looks perfect, so you wonder what goes wrong, you wonder what he’s thinking, is he thinking the correct things? I think when he breaks that duck he’ll be off and running.”

Earlier this month, Ronnie O’Sullivan said snooker stars looked forward to playing Lisowski due to his fast style. Asked if he was bothered by those comments, Lisowski told Sportsboom: “No. It’d kill me if [O’Sullivan] said he hated playing me.

“I feel like he has given me a lot of pointers over the years, and I practice with him. I think I’ve annoyed him because I haven’t really ever taken it on board that well.

“But the last couple months I’ve been lucky enough to kind of do exhibitions with him in China. Spent a lot of time with him and you just picked up these little breadcrumbs, and I think the hammer’s hitting home now.”