Ali Carter has Mark Allen to thank for winning a whopping £105,000 at the Shanghai Masters last weekend.
Carter finished runner-up in China, losing 11-9 to former snooker world champion Kyren Wilson in the final.
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For coming second, it meant he took home £105,000 in prize money.
But he wasn’t originally meant to be playing in the tournament at all.
Carter is ranked No.17 in the world and only the top 16 players were given an automatic place in the Shanghai Masters.
Fortunately for him though, World No.10 Mark Allen pulled out of the event due to personal reasons.
And Allen texted his good friend Carter to let him know that he would be withdrawing – albeit in cryptic fashion.
Speaking after losing in the final in Shanghai, Carter revealed: “He just texts me and says ‘Merry Christmas, mate’.
“I didn’t quite understand what he meant, but then I read between the lines and he said he’s not going to Shanghai.
“I was like ‘thanks mate, I owe you a vodka!'”
The 46-year-old certainly owes him that drink now, after claiming over £100,000 in prize money.
It is one of Carter’s biggest career hauls at a tournament, with his largest single prize ever standing at £125,000.
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How did Carter go on to claim £105,000?
Carter made his way through the Shanghai Masters by knocking out Le Qui, 6-1, and Mark Williams, 6-5, in the opening rounds.
He then beat Xiao Guodong 6-5 to set up a semi-final meeting with four-time world champion Mark Selby.
The clash against Selby was a tense one, but Carter stepped up to win four frames in a row to secure a 10-8 victory.
That sent him through to the final in China and guaranteed him at least £105,000 from the tournament.
Carter would then challenge Wilson all the way in the showpiece, eventually losing 11-9 in a tight affair.
It meant he picked up the runners-up prize, with Wilson claiming the win and taking home a maximum reward of £210,000.
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Carter’s career winnings
Carter added his latest big prize to his career collection of £3.8m.
Before taking Allen’s place in the Shanghai Open and going on to win £105,000, he had only won £2,000 in 2025.
In 2024, his biggest prize was £33,000, winning the Championship League and reaching the semi-finals at the World Open.
Altogether last year, Carter won a collective £257,700.
So, following his huge win last weekend, he’s taken a big jump in chances of coming close to that number again this year.
Carter’s next tournament appearance will be in the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, which takes place from Friday, August 8.
