Northern Ireland Open: Jordan Brown shocks world champion Zhao Xintong

Antrim’s Jordan Brown caused a huge upset on the opening day of the Northern Ireland Open with a 4-0 win over world champion Zhao Xintong.

The 38-year-old has suffered a string of poor results in recent seasons, but put that behind him as he took advantage of an off-colour Zhao to secure a last-32 meeting with Ashley Hugill.

Brown overcame a choppy opening frame and won the second on the colours, while breaks of 48 and 51 were enough to see him win the frames he needed to advance.

“It was amazing there, I absolutely loved it and I want to thank everyone for their support. This is a special place to play,” Brown said.

“I haven’t given them much to shout about lately. I beat Neil Robertson here two years ago and I had to try and recapture those memories today and produce something similar. When you play with Zhao, you have to hit your shots. I kept him cool, especially in the first shot.”

“It’s been very difficult over the last couple of seasons. It’s just confidence, I’m a confident player and when these things are over, it all works out. I’ve been working with Fergal O’Brien on the mental side and trying to get things right again. If I play like that again, there’s no reason why I can’t go further.”

Hugill also caused a sensation when the amateur beat world number 35 Nopon Saengkham, winning 4-2.

Mark Selby began his challenge with a 4-1 win over Ian Burns, which included a break of 129 in the second frame.

Chris Wakelin, runner-up in the 2023 edition, beat Lan Yuhao 4-1, while China’s Wu Yizi, Ben Woollaston and Pang Junxu won in the afternoon.

In the evening session, four-time world champion John Higgins took the lead with a 4-0 win over Lewis Heathcote, making breaks of 95 and 84 along the way.

China’s He Guoqiang won 4-2 over David Gilbert with a break of 99 in the first frame and 84 in the last, while last year’s runner-up Judd Trump was a 4-2 winner over Anthony McGill.

Jackson Page claimed a 4-0 win over Steven Hallworth and England’s Jack Lisowski produced a break of 112 en route to a 4-0 win over Haris Tahir.