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Mark Allen delivered a gracious message to Jordan Brown after crushing his close friend's dreams at the Northern Ireland Open. Allen secured a 5-2 victory over his fellow Antrim potter to book a semi-final clash with world No. 1 Judd Trump . Brown has suffered through a torrid few seasons, during which his world ranking and mental well-being have nosedived. He even contemplated walking away from snooker, but has appeared revitalised this season after recruiting Irish snooker legend Fergal O'Brien as his coach. His revival has been evident at Belfast's Waterfront Hall, where he demolished world champion Zhao Xintong 4-0 and defeated this season's standout performer Shaun Murphy to set up a Northern Ireland derby against Allen. The Pistol, who knows Brown better than anyone, heaped praise on his pal, declaring it was inevitable he would return to his peak form. The world No. 8 said: "This is where he belongs. I've practised with Jordan for the best part of 25-26 years. "I know more than most what he's capable of and the level he can play to. He's just been struggling for confidence. "The game's so mental. If you start losing a few matches, it can really get on top of you. I tried to say to him at the end, 'Three good wins this week, take a lot of positives into the rest of the season.' This is where he belongs; he's a class act." Allen's next opponent is Trump, who secured his place in the semi-finals with a 13th consecutive ranking event victory over John Higgins , winning 5-2. Despite a less-than-stellar start to the season, Trump feels his game is on an upward trajectory. The Ace said: "My scoring was the difference today. After the interval, my long potting was great and I scored heavily." In what has been an unpredictable season so far, Trump emphasised that he can't afford to be complacent, adding: "I could easily go the whole season without winning a tournament; there's no guarantee. "I would love to get that out of the way here so I can relax. I feel my game has taken a forward step here; no matter what happens, I feel a lot more comfortable with my cue and how I am playing." The other semi-final will pit Jack Lisowski against Chinese sensation Zhou Yuelong. Lisowski saw off defending champion Kyren Wilson 5-3 in an entertaining quarter-final. Jackpot, who is aiming for his first ranking title, said: "To beat Kyren, who was the best player in the world last season and won this last year, shows where my game is at. "It was as hard a game as I could have had, a really big test and I stood up to it. I am hitting every shot well and felt great. I just need to concentrate and get focussed from the start of the match. After that it comes eaiser."
