Reigning champion Mark Allen has exited the Players Championship in the first round with a 6-3 defeat by Kyren Wilson at the Telford International Centre.

World number two Wilson started the match strongly and took a 3-1 lead after the first session.

Northern Irishman Allen fought back to level things at three frames each after the resumption of play but Wilson, 33, always looked the sharper of the pair.

The world champion was not at his best, but Allen could not take advantage and the Englishman reeled off three frames in a row to claim victory.

Wilson will face Mark Williams in the quarter-finals after the world number five claimed a 6-2 victory over Ding Junhui.

Allen, 39, needed victory to have any hope of reaching the Tour Championship and the world number five’s focus will now shift to his efforts to win the World Snooker Championship for a first time at the Crucible next month.