Jordan Brown gave the home crowd the perfect opening Sunday afternoon at the Northern Ireland Open as he whitewashed world champion Zhao Xintong.
The first Chinese player to win at the Crucible wasn't anywhere near his best at the Waterfront Hall and Brown took full advantage.
After a scrappy opening frame, where both players missed chances, the Antrim man took the second with a cracking brown which brought the audience into the match.
Brown sensed that the upset was on now and he dominated the next two frames, restricting Zhao to four points, while managing a 51 in the last.
"That feels amazing," he told RTÉ Sport afterwards. I was really looking forward to today. I wasn't up until last night, things haven't been great on and off the table recently.
"My form hasn't been great but the build-up there today, my friends and family gave me a big lift and I got a lot of messages of support and everybody's behind me.
"That gave me a lift there for today and it was extra special playing in front of that crowd."
The man they call the 'Antrim Ferrari', who won the Welsh Open in 2021, has endured a tough start to the new season, slipping to 73 on the one-year ranking list.
'Things haven't been great... it feels amazing'
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 19, 2025
Jordan Brown beat world champion Zhao Xintong at the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast
Report: https://t.co/MctTJTrws7 #RTESport #NIOpen #Snooker pic.twitter.com/QTjSQbU8M0
Brown has begun working with former Irish world number nine Fergal O'Brien as he looks to rekindle his form.
"No, absolutely not, because he believes in my ability," says the 38-year-old when asked if the Dubliner is trying to change his game.
"Maybe he believes more in my ability than myself recently, but it's just getting me to trust my game a little bit more and he's obviously helped me on the mental side.
"I feel like I've been struggling technically as well. But I feel like it's finally starting to come together now because I felt at home out there. That's the way I can play snooker.
"Obviously, I would have liked to scored a little bit heavier but that doesn't matter at the end of the day, the result is the result.
"4-0, I'll take that all day long against the word champion."
He now faces a first last-32 clash since the German Masters in January 2024. There, he'll meet Ashley Hugill, the amateur causing a surprise with a win over world number 35 Noppon Saengkham.
Four-time world champion Mark Selby has never won a WST event on the island of Ireland, reaching semi-finals at a PTC tournament in Killarney back in 2011, as well as a semi-final in Belfast in 2018.
He was in good form as he beat fellow Englishman Ian Burns 4-1, with a high break of 129.
Having already won the English, Scottish and Welsh Opens during his career, Selby says he's keen to become the first player to complete the Grand Slam of the Home Nations Series.
"It's the one missing of the grand slam," he said. "No one has done it yet and I know Neil [Robertson] is one away. He's not here this week and I'm still in, I've got a chance.
"We'll be see by the end of the week."
On righting his record in Ireland, Selby added: "The atmosphere out there is great. It's only day one and the crowds are good already.
"Playing Ronnie a few years ago was a great atmosphere as well, getting to the one-table set-up, so it'd be nice to get back there again."
'No one's done it - I'm still in it, I have a chance'
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 19, 2025
Mark Selby says he'd love to win the Northern Ireland Open this week and complete a career Home Nations grand slam in Belfast
Report: https://t.co/MctTJTrws7 #RTESport #Snooker #NIOpen pic.twitter.com/ljQOf90q2V
Judd Trump, four times a winner of the Northern Ireland Open - including during Covid-19, when it was held in Milton Keynes - saw off Anthony McGill 4-2.
By his own standard, he's had a poor start to the season, sitting 35th in the one-year ranking list, despite being the world number one overall.
"I've lost a lot of deciders this year," he told RTÉ Sport afterwards.
"I think there's been a few venues and the conditions have not been great but coming here to Belfast is somewhere where I love playing.
"I've a great record and every time I come here I seem to enjoy it out there. In the back of your head you know you've got a good record and it gives you a little bit of added confidence."
The Ace in the Pack has been using a new cue for the last few months after deciding it was time for a change.
"The old cue was getting old," he explains.
"It was about seven years [using it]. I had it from just before I won the World Championship in 2019.
"Some of the conditions nowadays are a lot heavier than they used to be so I needed to something with a little bit more power.
"It's a lot different to what I've used my whole career so it's just taking a little bit of time to get used to.
"When you don't win something straight away you're always on the back foot, but I'm sure it will come."
Elsewhere today, Chris Wakelin, Tom Ford and Wu Yize all progressed, with multiple world championship winner John Higgins in action later in Belfast.
