Mark Allen is focused of having a good week at the Brentwood Centre to claim the 2024 BetVictor English Open title.

The crowd-pleasing 38-year-old from Antrim, Northern Ireland is looking to go a couple of steps further and win the title he is keen to add to his already impressive trophy cabinet.

When the BetVictor English Open made its debut in Brentwood in 2022 Allen was beaten 6-2 in the semi-finals by Belgium’s Luca Brecel – who lost 9-6 in the final to Mark Selby.

However, at last year’s event Allen was dumped out in round two by Romford-born Matthew Selt 4-2.

The 39-year-old current world number 33, whose only World Snooker Tour title win came at the 2019 Indian Open, went to the last eight where he lost to eventual winner Judd Trump.

Trump, 39, who recently reclaimed the world number one spot from Allen, pocketed his second English title after defeating China’s Zhang Anda in an entertaining 9-7 final.

And Allen, an 11-time WST ranking event winner, is determined to get into this year’s final and rule the roost in Brentwood next Sunday (September 22)

“It will be great,” Allen, the current world number three, told the official WST website.

“We have a run of events with the English Open, the British Open and Belfast (Northern Ireland Open) around the corner. I love the travelling but it is also nice to be back in the UK.

“Brentwood hasn’t always brought good results for me but I would like to go there and put that right this year.

"I feel I have been consistent and going to the business end of a lot of tournaments, so it would be nice to go one further.

"I’ve never been to the final of English Open so it would be nice to be there come Sunday night and be in with a chance."

The first round got under way yesterday (Thursday) and the second round concludes on Saturday. The top 32 then enter the third-roud stage from Monday.

Joining Allen and defending champion Trump, who edged out Mark Williams 10-9 to claim the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters last week, are world champion Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, John Higgins, Williams, Shaun Murphy, local Essex favourite 2017 winner Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ali Carter and Stuart Bingham.

Tickets for the final session next Sunday (September 22) are sold out but there plenty of tickets available for all other sessions at wst.tv/tickets/english-open-2024-tickets/