Mark Allen accepts 'gave it my all but came up just short' after NI Open exit ends hope for Belfast glory
Mark Allen’s bid for NI Open success on the home stage suffered a semi-final exit that left the Antrim ace accepting “gave it my all but came up just short”.
Allen, a two-time winner of the Belfast prize, lost out to the tournament’s most successful player in Judd Trump across a 6-3 defeat on Saturday night.
Allen took to social media in response to his last-four disappointment across pursuit of The Alex Higgins Trophy and posted: “Not to be at this year’s NI Open. Gave it my all but came up just short. Fine margins there tonight. Good luck to @juddtrump and @JackLisowski in tomorrow’s final. It should be an amazing atmosphere for two of the best in the game to watch.”
One highlight from Allen’s NI Open journey was a meeting with another home favourite, Jordan Brown.
"Me and Jordan are very, very close,” the 39-year-old Allen told TNT Sports after his quarter-final win. “We've known each other for 26 years, we grew up playing junior snooker together, we play in the same club, we play 20 feet apart every single day.
"I know a lot about his life and how he's been doing - and vice versa - so, yeah, hopefully we don't play each other too many times in the future because it's not fun.”
Four-time champion Trump and Jack Lisowski met on Sunday in the Waterfront Hall showpiece showdown for the £100,000 winner’s cheque.
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