Mark Allen and Aaron Hill exited the BetVictor Welsh Open 2026 at the first round stage on Monday evening.
Allen was beaten 4-2 by England's David Grace.
The turning point arrived in the second frame when the Antrim man was 1-0 up and looking in position to double his lead, only for Grace to level proceedings on the final black.
While Allen did retake the lead, Grace reeled off breaks of 55, 59 and 67 to claim a surprise victory.
Hill, who will turn 24 later this week went down 4-0 to another Englishman, Joe O’Connor.
The Cork potter failed to make any real impact in the encounter while O’Connor sealed three of the frames with scores of 56, 84 and 108 in a comprehensive victory.
Irish interest in the tournament is now only Robbie McGuigan who plays David Gilbert on Monday evening.
