Mark Allen v Jordan Brown live stream | Northern Ireland Open 2025 preview
Allen and Brown will put their friendship to one side on Friday (Credit: PA Images)
Mark Allen locks horns with Jordan Brown in a mouth-watering battle of the home favourites in the Northern Ireland Open quarter-finals.
There will be split loyalties at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on Friday, when the two good friends vie for a place in the last four.
Allen looks to remain on course to lift the Alex Higgins trophy for the third time, having previously done so in 2021 and 2022.
It would also be his second silverware in as many months, after winning the English Open, and maintain his unblemished Home Nations record this term.
The Pistol has had to demonstrate his battling qualities this week, coming through successive deciding frames against Robert Milkins and Ben Woollaston.
He then enjoyed much smoother progress in the last 16, putting fellow Irishman Aaron Hill to the sword 4-1.
Allen is now gearing up for only his second meeting with Brown. Although, a good omen is the fact he went on to lift the trophy after beating him in the opening round of the 2022 UK Championship.
Brown has chosen the ideal event in which to enjoy a return to form, reaching only his second ranking quarter-final since that memorable Welsh Open triumph in 2021.
The Antrim Ferrari set his stall out with a 4-0 whitewash of reigning World champion Zhao Xintong, before following suit against Ashley Hugill in the following round.
Brown then denied another former Crucible king in Shaun Murphy, beating the Magician 4-2 to progress to just a fourth career ranking quarter-final.
Only one of those have come in a Home Nations event and, of course, he went on to lift the trophy on the previous occasion, so the world number 55 will hope that is a positive omen for him this week.
Whichever Antrim cueist prevails, they will face a semi-final showdown with four-time Northern Ireland winner Judd Trump.
The match breaks off at 7pm BST on Friday and will be contested over the best of nine frames at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.
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