Allen will face Mark Williams in the second round

Northern Ireland's Allen claimed a 9-4 victory to move into the second round at the Telford International Centre.

Despite winning the opening frame of the match, Hendry found himself 6-2 down at the afternoon interval.

Although Hendry tried to get back into it, Allen had breaks of 47, 80, 88, 79, 66, 76 and 77 to advance.

The only previous encounter between the two players saw Hendry win 5-1, and although he admitted his opponent was a tough obstacle to get past, he still expected to progress.

"I've had tough draws in the past and come through, but the thing is at the moment, because I've not had a good season, I'm struggling with confidence," said Hendry

"But actually I'm probably hitting the ball as well as I ever have done in practice, it's just a matter of getting a couple of victories and I'll be back where I should be. It's hard at the minute - you need wins to get confidence."

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A delighted Allen said: "That's definitely the biggest win of my career so far. Not my best performance, but definitely my biggest win.

"He was the player I always looked up to when I was starting out in snooker, I always used to watch him when he was dominating. I've just beaten my hero.

"I feel like one of the big players now but I still look up to the likes of Stephen.

Allen will next face two-time UK champion Mark Williams who beat qualifier Ricky Walden 9-3.

Walden had a top break of 71, but Williams pocketed breaks of 63, 88, 71, 65 and 63 to make sure of his place in the next phase.

Nigel Bond staged a remarkable comeback to beat Ken Doherty 9-7 after trailing 7-4 at one point.

Last month's Northern Ireland Trophy winner Stephen Maguire also advanced after a 9-5 win over Joe Swail.