Northern Ireland Open: Chris Wakelin stuns Jack Lisowski to reach final, faces either Judd Trump or Barry Hawkins
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Updated 28/10/2023 at 17:38 GMT
Chris Wakelin progressed into the Northern Ireland Open final after claiming a superb 6-1 win over Jack Lisowski. It was Wakelin's first appearance in a ranking semi-final, and he produced a hugely-accomplished performance to dispatch the Jackpot, who suffered a terrible collapse in form. His search for a first ranking title goes on, while Wakelin will relish the prospect of Sunday's final.
Wakelin cruises into Northern Ireland Open final after dominant win over Lisowski
Chris Wakelin stunned Jack Lisowski and sealed his place in the Northern Ireland Open final with a sensational 6-1 victory in Belfast.
It was an incredible performance in Wakelin’s first ranking semi-final, while Lisowski was left to rue a huge collapse in form and continues his wait for a first ranking title.
Wakelin drew first blood in the match with a break of 57, and sealed the frame after sinking a red to the bottom pocket and forcing Lisowski to concede.
Lisowski built up a healthy 44-0 lead in the second frame and showcased his improving safety game with a lovely placing of the cue ball behind the black.
He would go on to level the scores with a flourish, after setting himself up with a superb long red and cleared the table through an impressive clearance of 61.
It was a third frame that was hardly vintage snooker, with both players missing tough-looking reds. Although, it was ultimately Wakelin who did enough and left Lisowski needing two snookers that did not materialise to go 2-1 up.
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Lisowski left 'shocked' by outstanding Wakelin performance
Wakelin extended his advantage to 3-1 by potting the red and leaving Lisowski needing a snooker, with his fine potting skills also yielding a commendable break of 57 in that frame as well.
It looked like the writing was on the wall for the Jackpot, as Wakelin increased his lead further after Lisowski failed to escape a snooker, and wrapped up the fifth frame with a fine clearance of 71.
There was no stopping Wakelin, who moved one frame away from victory after finishing off the sixth frame with a 66 break.
It looked like Lisowski had been given a route back into the contest when a red to the left-middle pocket did not materialise for Wakelin, but the Jackpot missed a red of his own along the top cushion.
This allowed Wakelin to finish things off and move within touching distance of his first win over Lisowski.
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'What a gift!' - Lisowski fails to execute plant as pressure tells
Wakelin concluded the contest by superbly landing the red and yellow balls, showcasing his ruthless nature by following that up with the red and black.
He then rattled in another red to finish off what was a dramatic collapse by Lisowski, after failing to pot a ball himself in any of the final four frames.
Wakelin will now look forward to Sunday’s final, where he will face either Judd Trump or Barry Hawkins.
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'Stuff dreams are made of' – Wakelin on cloud nine after sealing Northern Ireland Open final place
Speaking after the victory, he said: “To go out there, get off to a reasonable start and get the ball rolling it's the stuff that dreams are made of.
"I've never done well here in Belfast in the past and I'm struggling to recall ever winning a match in that arena.
"When I got here knowing that every table is in that main arena, it adds that extra bit of pressure, but I got off to a good start and played some good snooker.
"The crowd are on so many levels in there, so visually, you can't miss them and it's a fantastic place to play."
Lisowski left 'shocked' by outstanding Wakelin performance
Meanwhile, Lisowski admits he was shocked at just how well Wakelin played after what has been a positive week overall for the 'Jackpot' in Belfast.
"I thought Chris played great today, and it shocked me to be honest. It looked like he was hitting the balls so cleanly.
“Everything was going in and he was winning every safety battle and he looked like he belonged there.
“I felt like I was really forcing it, having to go for the tricky ones and kept running out of position.
“When I was in, nothing was happening and I was trying to force it from the start.
“It's been a good week, but disappointed with how today went.”
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