Mark Allen loses to Jordan Brown on snooker return

Summarised from 2 outlets · 3 reports · Updated 20 Oct, 16:38 · Archive

Mark Allen lost 4-2 to Jordan Brown at the Northern Ireland Open in his first match since May.

Mark Allen returned to competitive snooker at the Northern Ireland Open but lost his first-round match 4-2 to Jordan Brown. Allen had not played since his World Championship semi-final defeat to Wu Yize in May, and has missed a string of major tournaments including the Shanghai Masters, China Open, British Open and Shenzhen Open.

Brown took the contest after Allen levelled at 2-2, with the Northern Ireland player building breaks of 53 and 80 in the final two frames. Allen has become the tenth top-16 player to exit at the first hurdle this year, following early losses for Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and Mark Selby.

Allen suggested the match may mark the end of his career, telling TNT Sports: 'Not good, if I'm honest. Really overwhelmed, I'm in a bad place at the minute. Even just to go out there and try was tough.' He said he might not have returned had he been playing anyone other than Brown, described as a close friend. Allen has attributed his absence to personal reasons but declined to elaborate on them.

How it is being reported

• Allen considers retirement after NI Open exitMark Allen says that retiring from snooker is "something I have been contemplating for a while" following his 4-2 loss to Jordan Brown in the Northern Ireland Open.BBC Sport · 20 Oct, 16:55
• Allen exits NI Open with Brown loss on returnMark Allen's return to action ends in defeat as he becomes the latest big name to exit the Northern Ireland Open, losing to Jordan Brown at the Waterfront Hall.BBC Sport · 20 Oct, 16:11
• Mark Allen’s return to snooker ends in defeat at Northern Ireland OpenMark Allen’s return to the table ended in defeat (Picture: Getty Images) Mark Allen has returned to action for the first time since the World Championship in May, but his comeback ended in a 4-2 defeat to Jordan Brown at the Northern Ireland Open. Allen’s last professional match was the Crucible…Metro · 20 Oct, 15:58

In this story: Mark Allen · Jordan Brown · Northern Ireland Open · Wu Yize · Belfast

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