By World Snooker Tour

Jack Lisowski halted an Ali Carter fightback to prevail 6-4 and make the quarter-finals of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship in York. 

World number 21 Lisowski now progresses to the last eight here in York for the fourth time in his career. His most notable UK Championship run came two years ago, when he reached the semis. Lisowski had look set for the title match, having led eventual champion Mark Allen 5-3, before succumbing to a 6-5 loss. He now has his chance for revenge, when he faces Allen in this year's quarters. 

The 33-year-old requires three more match wins to step into the tournament winner's circle for the first time in his career. He's made six ranking finals so far, but has ended as runner-up on each occasion. However, the fiercely attacking Lisowski has produced some sublime snooker so far this week, having also won an epic 6-4 win over Mark Selby in the last 32.

The loss for Carter ends his hopes of forcing a way into the top ten of the Johnstone's Paint World Rankings, meaning he will miss out on the lucrative Riyadh Season Snooker Championship. 

The opening frame this evening went the way of Lisowski, before the second came down to a safety battle on the pink. A fine long range pot eventually gave Carter a shot at the black, which he duly deposited to left middle to restore parity at 1-1. 

Lisowski leapt into action in the third and from there he composed contributions of 85, 63 and 106 to move into a commanding 4-1 lead. Carter replied with 68 in the sixth, but a break of 97 in the seventh moved Lisowski 5-2 ahead. 

The Captain refused to buckle and took two on the bounce to crank up the heat at 5-4. However, Lisowski showed his mettle with a match winning 55 in the tenth to secure a significant 6-4 victory.

Lisowski said: "I didn't play as well as the other day but I was kind of expecting that. I felt a bit inexperienced at the end. I just push the boat out at the wrong times and he could have been coming back at me. It could definitely have been 5-5, so I got away with that.

"The fans here are amazing. I think they maybe watched the game against Selby the other day and appreciated it, because he had 94% pot success. I was looking back on it and to beat him is really tough. I felt a lot of support tonight and sometimes that can put me under pressure. My concentration is getting better though and that definitely helped. The crowd in York is my favourite bunch."

On the other table, world number three Allen earned his quarter-final spot with a hard fought 6-4 win over talented Chinese star Wu Yize. 

The Pistol's victory here in 2022 came courtesy of a stunning 10-7 defeat of Ding Junhui in the final, which he had trailed 6-1. 

Dangerous 22-year-old Wu had already showcased his credentials earlier this season with a brilliant run to his second ranking final at the English Open, where he was narrowly beaten 9-7 by Neil Robertson. 

It was Wu who looked the strongest in the early stages this evening, as he moved into a 4-2 lead. However, Allen made breaks of 110, 73, 100 and 80 to take four on the bounce and emerge with a 6-4 victory. 

Allen said: "Jack looks to be playing well. I think snooker is better whenever Jack is playing well. He plays how everyone wants to play and that is the biggest compliment I can give him. Hopefully I can stop him in his tracks. That was good there from me tonight. If I play like that I give myself a good chance of beating Jack. He's riding the crest of a wave at the minute. It is up to me to go out there and stop him."