World No. 29 Jack Lisowski claimed the Northern Ireland Open, ending his ranking title hoodoo with a stunning victory over World No. 1 Judd Trump at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.
Lisowski, who had previously lost six ranking finals – the last three against Trump – edged over the line in a tension-filled day, capped off by a remarkable final frame, riddled with errors that reflected the nerves coursing through both playersβ minds.
First Session
Frames 1-4
After a pause due to a medical emergency, a first frame of tight safety and low breaks was settled when Lisowski potted a blue and pink to draw first blood. Trump then shook off any nerves with a sublime break of 97 to level the match.
The third frame clocked in at nearly 50 minutes, and between the safety exchanges there were some truly shocking misses, mostly from the cue of Lisowski. When a final miss on a routine blue allowed Trump in, he gladly grasped the chance, and with it a 2-1 lead.
A break of 52 had Trump on the verge of a 3β1 lead heading into the mid-session interval, but a foul allowed his opponent back to the table. Despite compiling a 40 break, Lisowski didnβt leave himself many easy shots, yet he managed to get over the line and level the match once more.
Frames 5-8
The fifth frame saw more errors from each player, but Lisowskiβs proved costly, allowing Trump to take the lead again. Lisowski seemed to shake off the potting jitters in the sixth frame, levelling the match once more with the first century break of the contest, a 112, to make it 3β3.
Lisowski, boosted by the century break, looked in smooth form. But after potting a tricky red, he sportingly admitted to committing a foul on the shot, ending his break at 49 and giving Trump a chance to get back in. Trump capitalised on the opportunity, taking the frame with a routine 75 to move ahead once more.
The first session ended with typical drama, when Jack Lisowski overhit a black into the bottom left, allowing Trump to compile a break of 48. When the World No. 1 then missed a long red, Lisowski stepped up and produced a steely break of 62 to bring an enthralling first session to a close, level at 4β4.
Evening Session
Frames 9-12
Judd Trump came flying out of the traps in the ninth frame, making breaks of 36 and 42 to move ahead 5-4. Things looked ominous for Lisowski as Trump started the tenth frame with speed and purpose. A Trump miss when on a break of 37 opened up the table for Lisowski, but his run ended at 59. When Trump missed again and left the table open, Lisowski levelled the match once more, to the delight of the crowd, who had firmly thrown their support behind the underdog.
A stunning long red to the right corner set Trump in motion, and he wasted no time in piecing together a slick 85 to edge ahead once again in this thrilling encounter. The final frame before the interval saw Trump miss a long red, perhaps eyeing early position for a 147. With the reds nicely spread, Lisowski stepped in and produced a superb break of 84 to take the match into the mid-session interval all square.
Frames 13-17
Frame 13 began with Trump crafting a break of 27 before Lisowski got his chance. With the table set up favourably, the world No.29 missed a regulation black to the corner, drawing gasps from the crowd and effectively handing Trump the frame. The former world champion duly closed it out with a simple 41 to move 7β6 in front.
Despite another glaring miss in frame 14, Lisowski got a second bite and compiled breaks of 32 and 51 to level the match once again. Trump took the lead in frame 15, but a break of 60, then a rare miss under pressure from Trump, put Lisowski one frame away from his first ranking title.
The four-time former champion was not to be denied one last chance at adding another title in Belfast, and he pieced together a break of 39 before laying a tricky snooker. When Lisowski conceded the foul, Trump cleared to take the final to a decider.
The opponents shook hands before the final frame. Early nerves from both resulted in poor positional play and safety exchanges but Lisowski, under immense pressure, potted a stunning long red into the left corner pocket. It looked good but another overhit shot gave Trump back the table. They swapped three more increasingly tension filled errors before Lisowski took his chance and with it, his first ranking title.
