Mark Allen's shocking exit in Northern Ireland Open's second round stuns fans

Posted : 24 October 2023

The Northern Ireland Open, a competition that Mark Allen, the champion of 2021 and 2022, had made his own, saw a surprising turn of events as Allen was eliminated in the second round of his home event.

In a closely contested match against world No. 96 Andres Petrov in the early hours of Tuesday, it was the Estonian who secured a shock victory in Belfast after Allen missed a crucial final blue, sealing his place in the third round.

Mark Allen, the reigning champion from 2022, faced an unexpected exit from this year's tournament at the hands of world No. 96 Andres Petrov. Allen, highly favored to win as the defending champion, was chasing his 16th consecutive victory in the Northern Ireland Open.

However, despite his 2021 victory, the 37-year-old Northern Irishman couldn't find a way past the determined Estonian, who clinched a thrilling 4-3 victory in Belfast.

Petrov immediately piled on the pressure by securing the opening two frames and maintained his lead. Although Allen managed to win a scrappy third frame, Petrov quickly reasserted his two-frame advantage.

Petrov's thin blue shot, followed by a brilliant positional shot from pink to black, brought him within touching distance of victory. Nevertheless, Allen, known as "The Pistol," fought back tenaciously to level the score at 3-3. He tied Petrov up in a snooker and forced his Estonian opponent to concede, setting the stage for a tense deciding frame.

In a dramatic final frame, Allen had a golden opportunity to stay in the competition. With only the pink remaining for victory, he agonizingly rattled the final blue against the jaws of the right corner pocket. Petrov capitalized on this mistake and cleared the blue, pink, and black to secure a remarkable win, leaving the home crowd in awe in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Amid these dramatic developments, Allen expressed his gratitude to his supporters on social media, acknowledging their unwavering support and his determination to return to the practice table for further improvement.

Additionally, Allen was not the sole high-profile departure on day 2, as former champion Neil Robertson suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Jordan Brown, who secured his place in the last 64. Meanwhile, Shaun Murphy, Jack Lisowski, and Gary Wilson notched up victories in the same round.

Mark Allen's shocking exit in Northern Ireland Open's second round stuns fans

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