Holder Allen suffers shock Northern Ireland Open Snooker exit in Belfast

Mark Allen had been aiming for a third consecutive NI Open crown
Author: Chris BrennanPublished 24th Oct 2023

Antrim's Mark Allen has suffered a surprise exit from Snooker's Northern Ireland Open in the second round.

Allen was gunning for a third successive title at the event, but went down 4-3 to the world number 96 Andres Petrov at Belfast's Waterfront Hall.

Allen did come from 3-1 behind to force a deciding frame, but went out as the match eventually concluded at 02:00.

There was a memorable result for another Antrim player however. Jordan Brown knocked former world champion Neil Robertson out 4-1.

A number of other top-16 players secured their spots in the tournament's last 32 on Monday, including Shaun Murphy, Jack Lisowski, Barry Hawkins and Hossein Vafaei.