MARK ALLEN CONSIDERS SNOOKER RETIREMENT AFTER BELFAST DEFEAT

Mark Allen said he was considering retirement from professional snooker after Jordan Brown beat him 4-2 in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast. Allen said he was in a “bad place” and had found it difficult to play the match. Brown is a close friend of Allen’s, and both are from Antrim. Allen said he might not have returned to competition if he had faced someone else. He said playing Brown at the Waterfront, where his career began in 2005, felt like a possible way to sign off.

The match was Allen’s first since Wu Yize beat him in the world championship semi-finals in April. Allen missed a match-ball black while leading 16-15, then lost the deciding frame; Wu went on to win the title. Allen has since stayed away from the tour because of personal issues that he has kept private. He said the past three months had been “really, really difficult” and described appearing in Belfast as an achievement. Allen was previously world No 1 and is currently ranked No 12 after his absence.

Allen said he would not announce his retirement immediately after a defeat, but had considered it for some time. “I just don’t see a future with snooker in it, if I’m honest,” he said. He also said he had received support, while describing his problems as internal. Allen has won 12 ranking tournaments, including the 2022 UK Championship and two Northern Ireland Open titles. He said snooker had been all he loved to do since he was 12, but recent months had changed his perspective.