Lisowski sweeps Xu aside for comfortable UK Championship win
CHURCHDOWN’S Jack Lisowski swept into the second round of the UK Championship in York, beating Xu Si 6-1 with top breaks of 73, 83 and 66.
World number 12 Lisowski reached the quarter-finals of this event for the first time in 2020, and got to the same stage last year.
It will be three runs to the last eight in a row if he can beat Iran’s Hossein Vafaei tonight (Thursday).
Lisowski enjoyed perhaps the best win of his career at the end of last season when he beat Neil Robertson 13-12 at the Crucible to reach the World Championship quarter-finals.
After a quiet start to the current campaign, he hopes he can bring his best again to the major stage.
“I was patient, played the right shots,” said the 31-year-old. “There were no fireworks, but it was nice to win comfortably.
“I made a few good clearances and I think that made the difference.
“Lots of the seeds are out already, it’s very tough to beat these qualifiers sometimes. They’re coming in with a lot of momentum.”
Lisowski won a scrappy first frame before a fine clearance of 73 took the second after Xu had looked in control of it with a break of 51.
A scrappy third went Lisowski’s way and it was 4-0 at the mid-session interval thanks to a break of 83.
Lisowski came out with a 66 in the next to go 5-0 up but Xu averted the whitewash with a 74, but Lisowski wrapped up the win in the next frame.