Jack Lisowski brushes aside Hossein Vafaei to seal place in UK Championship quarter-finals
Jack Lisowski brushed aside Hossein Vafaei 6-2 to claim his place in the quarter-finals of the UK Championship for the third consecutive year.
The 31-year-old was unstoppable as he dispatched his opponent in just over two hours, compiling breaks of 95, 56 and 101.
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“It was quite a one-sided game,” Lisowski reflected in the Eurosport studio afterwards.
“I think I sort of found my rhythm today. I’ve been practising quite hard.
“The white ball was going pretty much where I was aiming it most of the time, and then it makes the game a lot easier.”
He doubled his lead when the second frame went a similar way, this time Lisowski made a break of 95.
More errors from Vafaei allowed the world No. 13 to take a 3-0 lead after another sensational pot on a red mid-frame into the green pocket.
Poor positional play from Lisowski gave Vafaei a chance in the fourth frame, which he needed to win ahead of the mid-session interval.
He produced the goods, despite being frozen out in terms of scoring big for most of the match until that point, by knocking in a century of 111.
Vafaei played a cheeky break off shot by going off two cushions to roll into the pack and he had the first chance after potting a great red.
However, he missed a tricky black and the theme of the match continued as Lisowski picked up the pieces to take a three-frame lead.
Lisowski missed a long red after to give Vafaei a great chance to make a big break. The Iranian was furious with himself when he missed a red after a break of 46, but got away with it as he made a break of 31 when he came back to the table.
‘He’s really annoyed’ – Vafaei slams cue into floor in frustration
However, Lisowski responded in emphatic fashion, putting together an impressive 101 in just over seven minutes to move to within a frame of victory.
The eighth frame proved a trickier affair for Lisowski, but ultimately, he saw the job through. A missed blue handed Vafaei a chance to extend the match, but it was one he failed to take, and his frustration got the better of him when he slammed his cue on the ground having screwed the yellow wide.
Lisowski sealed the deal with his next visit to the table and, in this form, must be confident of going all the way.
Lisowski has been working closely with former professional Peter Ebdon, who was seen making notes in the crowd.
“I think whenever he’s there watching, I was trying to do all the right things.”
‘That’s just terrific!’ – Ridiculous pot from Lisowski
With a number of higher-ranking players having been already eliminated, Lisowski must sense a real opportunity now to go deep in the tournament.
“I was expecting to play [Mark] Selby today and then Judd tomorrow on recent form,” he said. “It is what it is. You can’t take anyone for granted.”
Meanwhile, Joe Perry will meet Tom Ford in the last-eight after seeing off Stuart Bingham 6-3.
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