Mark Allen was struck by nerves during his surprise defeat to Oli Lines at the Northern Ireland Open on Wednesday, feeling far edgier than he expected to.
The man from Antrim has won his home event twice but fell early this year, beaten 4-3 by Yorkshireman Lines in the last 32.
Allen was a long way from his best, making just one half-century and the world number 83 pounced to book a spot in the last 16 against Neil Robertson.
The Pistol was taking nothing away from the winner, but admitted that he was feeling especially nervous at the Waterfront Hall, far more so than he expected.
‘I felt edgy. I was a bit nervous. I wasn’t expecting it, but I was nervous when I went out and I think that showed in my performance,’ Allen told Belfast Live.
‘I made that 87 in frame two and thought that would settle me down, but I just didn’t perform. I just wasn’t good enough unfortunately. It was a poor performance from me.
‘I just didn’t play well out there at all and Oli deserved it. I’m disappointed for the ones who came out to support me, but it’s back to the drawing board and the practice table.’
Lines is having a good season so far, reaching his first ranking semi-final at the British Open and has now picked up four wins so far in Belfast, hoping to add Robertson to his list of victims on Thursday evening.
‘I’m not beating myself up as much if I miss a ball and I’m not thinking negatively,’ Lines said about his improvement on the table.
‘In the last frame today I missed a chance but I told myself to keep calm because I might get another opportunity. As long as I think the right way, things seem to be happening for me. You can start doubting shots and looking for problems that aren’t there. I was nervous towards the end of the match but I had to convince myself that I still felt good.
‘I have worked harder in general this season, concentrating more in practice, and it seems to be paying off at the moment. It’s a big win for me because Mark is a top player and it’s his home tournament.’
The last 16 got underway in Belfast on Thursday afternoon, with Pang Junxu the first man into the quarters thanks to a 4-0 win over Martin O’Donnell.
That was overshadowed by a brilliant match between Shaun Murphy and Stuart Bingham, though, which Murphy edged 4-3 on the final black.
The Magician opened with a ton but Bingham made two centuries of his own as he took a 3-1 lead.
Murphy hit back with two half-centuries but Bingham looked to have got one foot in the next round when he made 60 in the seventh and final frame.
The 2005 world champ hung in there and then took his opportunity to make a great clearance and scramble into the last eight.
The remaining last 16 matches see Kyren Wilson play Stan Moody and Mark Williams take on Ma Hailong in the afternoon.
Then Lines faces Robertson and Elliot Slessor players Lei Peifan at the start of the evening session, followed by Louis Heathcote against Tian Pengfei and Judd Trump vs Barry Hawkins.
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