Jack Lisowski (right) reached the Welsh Open final for the first time in his career
Jack Lisowski orchestrated a remarkable comeback against five-time champion John Higgins to secure his inaugural appearance in the Welsh Open final.
Lisowski, 34, rallied from a 3-1 deficit to triumph 6-5 over Higgins in Llandudno. He is now set to face fellow English left-hander Barry Hawkins in Sunday’s final, scheduled for 13:00 GMT.
Lisowski’s performance included breaks of 95, 79, 138, 58, and a decisive 78, denying the 50-year-old Higgins an opportunity to compete for the Ray Reardon Trophy.
“I was confident in my game. I shifted the momentum after the interval and focused on maintaining it,” Lisowski told BBC Sport.
“Under that kind of pressure, it sometimes becomes a bit easier because you enter a state of auto-pilot.”
“The atmosphere was incredible. At 4-3, I felt I was playing exceptionally well, but you’re up against John Higgins. It feels like facing a legend.”
“In the end, I won, and I’m thrilled.”
Higgins, a four-time world champion, began the semi-final strongly, leading into the interval with a notable 73 break in the third frame.
However, Lisowski dominated after the interval, winning three consecutive frames and preventing Higgins from scoring.
During this stretch, Lisowski narrowly missed a century break, but later treated the north Wales crowd to a sublime century, adding to his recent victory over Judd Trump in the Northern Ireland Open final.
Higgins responded with an 82 break to momentarily halt Lisowski’s momentum, but the ‘Wizard of Wishaw’ ultimately lost control of the match.
Lisowski, ranked 22nd globally, demonstrated remarkable composure to secure the victory against Higgins, who is ranked 16 places higher.
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In an earlier match, Hawkins overcame a determined fightback from Wu Yize to win 6-4 and reach his second Welsh Open final.
Hawkins, known as ‘The Hawk,’ began strongly, winning four of the first five frames with breaks of 72 and 66.
Wu, from China, responded by leveling the match at 4-4 with three consecutive frames, including a 122 break.
Despite a 59 break from Wu, Hawkins narrowly won the ninth frame to regain the lead and secured his place in Sunday’s final.
“I’m delighted with the win. He put a lot of pressure on me towards the end,” Hawkins told BBC Sport.
“Leading 4-1, I miscued a red and then struggled to find my rhythm. He capitalized and went on a run.”
“He missed a black at 4-4, and I should have cleared up. I let the white run away and thought my chance was gone.”
Barry Hawkins 6-4 Wu Yize
John Higgins 5-6 Jack Lisowski
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