Wilson Takes Sting Out Of Lisowski
Kyren Wilson came from 2-0 down to score a 6-2 win in the first round of the Dafabet Masters, beating Jack Lisowski who admitted he “lost the plot” after crucial errors in the early stages.
The match was briefly interrupted in the fifth frame when referee Ben Williams was stung by a wasp as he tried to remove the insect from the table. In the end it was Wilson who was buzzing as he booked a quarter-final place, while Lisowski winged his way out of Alexandra Palace.
World number eight Wilson reached the final here two years ago, losing to Mark Allen. The Kettering cueman has had a patchy season so far, reaching just one ranking event semi-final, but enjoys competing on the main stage and having jumped the first hurdle will be confident of another deep run at snooker’s biggest invitation event. He now meets Mark Williams or Stuart Bingham.
Breaks of 56 and 76 gave Lisowski the first two frames before Wilson pulled one back with a run of 66. The crucial fourth frame came down to the colours and Lisowski had a clear chance to take it, but played a loose positional shot from the blue, leaving himself a tricky pink with the rest, which he failed to convert. Wilson potted the pink then slotted the black along the baulk cushion to level at 2-2.
Runs of 40 and 68 helped Wilson to take the next two frames and he took charge of the seventh with a 67. Lisowski had a chance to clear but sportingly called a push shot on himself as he potted the penultimate red, trailing by 42 points. Wilson took advantage for 5-2 then wrapped up the match in the next with a break of 70.
“Jack started like a house on fire but the third and fourth frames were turning points and I settled down after that,” said 28-year-old Wilson. “After that I went from strength to strength. This venue amplifies pressure so when your opponent makes a mistake you have to believe it will hurt him. You have to be able to handle the occasion. After the interval I kept it tight and took my chances.”
Lisowski, who made his Masters debut last year and is yet to win a match in the event, said: “I made a good start but missed chances in the fourth frame and Kyren got stronger. I lost the plot after that and I was poor mentally. My safety wasn’t good. My touch just wasn’t there, perhaps because I put a new tip on my cue a few days ago. It wasn’t ideal preparation.”