JORDAN Brown beat world champion Zhao Xintong 4-0 to reach the last 32 of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open yesterday.
Playing in front of his home support on the opening day of the tournament, the world number 55 from Antrim made the most of some uncharacteristic errors from the Chinese player, who managed just 52 points in the match.
Brown, who wrapped up the win with a break of 51 in frame four, now faces Ashley Hugill, 4-2 winner over Noppon Saengkham, later in the week for a place in the last 16.
‘’It doesn’t get much better than that,’’ admitted the 37-year-old.
‘’The support was fantastic today. I haven’t been giving anybody much to shout about recently but I absolutely loved it out there.
‘’The Waterfront is a special place to play in. I have good memories of beating Neil Robertson here two years ago and I knew I needed something similar today to get through.
‘’I managed to keep Zhao cold early on, because I know the damage he can do when he finds his stride, and as the match went on I just grew in confidence.
Brown’s ranking has taken a pounding over the last two seasons, since a semi-final appearance at the International Championship had him inside the world’s top 32. That performance was sparked by the win over Robertson in Belfast, so he’s hoping history can repeat itself to spark a climb away from the top-64 relegation zone.
‘’I have struggled recently,’' he admits. ‘‘It’s been very difficult. It’s just a confidence thing. Whenever that goes it’s hard to get it back. But I’ve been working with Fergal O’Brien to try and get things right, as much as on the mental side of the game.
‘‘Now I will just be taking it one match at a time from here but I’m looking forward to the rest of the week and going deep into the tournament.
Other winners in the early action on day one were Chris Wakelin, Wu Yize, Mark Selby, Pang Junxu and Ben Woollaston, with Tom Ford receiving a walkover against Marco Fu. Like Fu,Neil Robertson has also been forced to withdraw, giving David Grace a bye to the last 32.
Mark Allen, twice a winner of the event, faces Robert Milkins on Monday evening (7pm), with Cork’s Aaron Hill playing Lei Peifan at 2pm.
