Unibet British Open: Lisowski Survives Thriller as Davies and Jones Impress
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
Jack Lisowski delighted the home crowd at the Unibet British Open by producing a dramatic comeback against Mitchell Mann to secure a place in the last 32.
The local favourite won 4-3 after taking the deciding frame on the final black in a tense encounter. Lisowski, who lives near Cheltenham, was pushed throughout the match but held his nerve in the closing stages.
After dropping the opening frame, Lisowski responded with a century break of 104 to level the contest. Mann then produced breaks of 75 and 71 to establish a 3-1 lead and moved within one frame of victory.
Lisowski fought back with breaks of 88 and 53 to make it 3-3. In the deciding frame, Mann led 64-34 and looked well placed to finish the match, but Lisowski created an opportunity by laying a snooker on the final red.
That allowed him to clear the remaining balls and complete the comeback.
Lisowski will now face Ishpreet Singh Chadha in the next round.
“It’s always good to play in front of my home crowd and it would be amazing to win it,” Lisowski said. “I’m playing OK but I know I’ll have to get better.”
The Englishman claimed his first ranking title at the Northern Ireland Open last season and will now aim to make a strong run on home soil.
Liam Davies Continues Impressive Progress
Welsh youngster Liam Davies produced one of the standout performances of the day, defeating world No. 10 Barry Hawkins 4-2.
The 20-year-old continued his strong recent form after reaching the last 16 of the Wuhan Open, where he defeated Ding Junhui and Gary Wilson.
Against Hawkins, Davies compiled breaks of 91, 64, 74 and 95 to claim another notable victory.
Davies credited his work with sports psychologist Dr Tom Bates for helping him maintain a positive mindset during matches.
Wilson and Jones Secure Comfortable Wins
Kyren Wilson also advanced with an impressive 4-1 victory over Wu Yize.
Zhang Anda needed all seven frames to overcome Chris Wakelin, eventually winning 4-3 after gaining the advantage during a safety exchange involving the final red.
Jak Jones produced one of the day’s most convincing performances, defeating last year’s runner-up Anthony McGill 4-0.
Jones was in excellent scoring form, making breaks of 118, 131, 53 and 84 during the match.
Chang Bingyu also continued his impressive run after recently winning his first ranking title at the Wuhan Open. He followed that achievement with a 4-1 victory over Chatchapong Nasa.
Ding Junhui and Other Results
Ding Junhui recorded a convincing 4-0 win over Sean O’Sullivan, making breaks of 86 and 82 along the way.
Elliot Slessor also progressed after beating Jamie Clarke 4-1.
Thailand’s Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon produced a strong comeback against Ali Carter. After falling 3-1 behind, Tirapongpaiboon won the final three frames and completed a 4-3 victory, making a 76 break in the deciding frame.
The results set up another exciting stage of the Unibet British Open, with the remaining players continuing their battle for the ranking title.
