SHEFFIELD, April 20: Seven-time winner Stephen Hendry is in danger of a shock first-round exit at the world championships after slipping 6-3 behind in his best-of-19 frame opener against Mark Allen.

Allen, from Northern Ireland, needs only four more frames on Monday to claim his second victory of the season over the former world number one.

The 22-year-old failed to win a point in the opening frame but then rattled in breaks of 70, 87, 91 and 49 to win the next four, Hendry managing only 42 points in reply.

The Scot has not won a ranking title since 2005 but showed his class with a break of 110 to reduce the deficit, only for Allen to reply with a century of his own in the next frame.

Back came Hendry in the next with a run of 93 but it was Allen who had the last word, a break of 62 in the final frame proving enough.

Australia’s Neil Robertson said snooker legend Steve Davis was the inspiration behind his 10-4 defeat of Nigel Bond in the first round on Sunday.

Robertson has lost three times in the first round this season but managed to put those woes behind him to overcome the 1995 finalist at the Crucible Theatre.

He revealed it was some wise words from six-times champion Davis put him on the right track. “At the China Open I was waking up at four or five in the morning with jet-lag and Steve was the only one down at breakfast at that time,” said the 26-year-old from Melbourne.—AFP