Allen defeats Brown in Antrim derby at NI Open

In the Northern Ireland Open quarter-final at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall, Mark Allen defeated fellow Antrim player Jordan Brown 5-2.

The world number eight was questioned during the contest, but on Saturday at 9:00 BST, he was able to get the answers to face England’s Judd Trump.

Allen’s first frame was a success, with a break of 101 taking the first frame, but Brown responded well with a break of 131 in the second, leveling the match.

Allen saw the frame stretched and extended his lead in the fourth as the third turned into a tactical battle on the colors.

Brown once more reacted by pulling a frame back, this time with a 120-degree break, but Allen continued to deliver in the frame-movement.

“It gave me relief to cross the line.” Playing Jordan wasn’t very enjoyable, Allen claimed to TNT Sports.

Because the neutral wants us both to do well, it may have been a great occasion for them because they had a lot of support. Jordan and I always win over him, so I never really enjoy beating him.

He “made two good centuries, played a lot of good stuff,” he said, “but he only missed one or two balls in crucial situations.” He would have been confident if the score had been 4-3.

“He belongs here,” he declares. He and I have worked together for 25 years, and we are both capable of success. I told him at the conclusion that because he is a top performer, he needs to take the positives with him after three strong victories this week.

In a ranking event, Trump defeated John Higgins for the 13th straight time, and he also won with a 5-2 advantage in his quarter-final.

After the first frame, the world’s number one remained in the lead before Higgins drew level with breaks of 93 and 82.

England’s Jack Lisowski and Zhou Yuelong will meet in Saturday’s first semi-final at 13:00 BST, both of whom advanced from Friday’s quarter-finals.

Making 63 and 68 breaks to extend the gap to two frames, Lisowski won 5-3 over defending champion Kyren Wilson.

Wilson pulled one back before Lisowski responded with 104, cutting him one frame later for victory. Despite returning, Wilson’s 76 helped him get the fifth frame he needed.

With a 5-4 victory over Tom Ford, Yuelong fought back from the brink to keep his place in the final four.

Before Yuelong responded with a 90 in the first frame, Ford won the opening two frames.