Lisowski Halts Bai Yulu’s Groundbreaking UK Championship Bid

Jack Lisowski, currently ranked 21st globally, concluded Bai Yulu’s attempt to become the first woman to advance to the last 32 of the UK Championship. He secured a decisive 6-1 victory in the final qualifying round held in Leicester. The English player compiled breaks of 79, 69, 64, and 77, winning the initial four frames consecutively. Bai, the 21-year-old Chinese world women’s champion, achieved a half-century herself, momentarily narrowing the score difference. However, her aspirations of reaching the televised stages in York were thwarted as Lisowski confirmed his win with runs of 85 and 66. “Obviously, it was all about Bai,” Lisowski stated. “It would have been incredible if she could have qualified, but she had an incredible run anyway.” He continued, “It was just about trying to keep my concentration. I get easily distracted normally at the best of times. So obviously, that storyline was in the back of my head.” Lisowski added, “I think she missed the blue to make it 1-1 and then I made 50s and 60s each frame. We sort of dragged each other down a little bit, but I’m happy to get through. If it goes 1-1 it’s game on, I think that was the key moment in the match.” Lisowski, aged 33, who is considered among the top players yet to secure a ranking tournament victory, will participate in Thursday afternoon’s draw for the season’s initial Triple Crown event in York. Bai Yulu achieved her first win since becoming part of the World Snooker Tour on Saturday. Stephen Maguire emerged victorious over Elliot Slessor with a 6-5 scoreline, clinching a closely contested 59-minute deciding frame. The Scottish player compiled breaks of 134 and 85, establishing a 4-2 advantage. Subsequently, England’s Slessor claimed the following three frames with runs of 78, 61, and 69. Maguire then equalized with a break of 71 before navigating a tense conclusion on the colours. “That was the toughest frame I have ever played,” commented Maguire, whose most recent of six ranking titles was secured in 2020. He added, “If I had lost that frame I don’t know what I would have done – maybe given up. I was over the edge mentally.” Stuart Bingham of England, a former winner of both the Masters and World Championship, also secured his spot at the Barbican by achieving a 6-0 victory against his fellow countryman Jimmy Robertson. Jackson Page overcame Iran’s Hossein Vafaei 6-2, while Jak Jones, the Crucible runner-up and another Welsh player, registered four half-centuries and two centuries en route to his 6-3 triumph over China’s Fan Zhengyi. Concurrently, Ryan Day from Wales defeated England’s Sanderson Lam 6-2, and English player Barry Hawkins bested Hong Kong’s Wang Yuchen 6-3. Sandi Toksvig is accompanied by Gyles Brandreth, Lulu, Emmanuel Sonubi, and Alan Davies. Take the microphone for Queen, Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Katy Perry, and others… Ben Fogle and Kate Humble have returned for the celebrations at Longleat Safari Park. Addressing microplastics in our atmosphere, soil, and aquatic systems, alongside the volume of food waste prevalent during this period. © 2024 BBC. The BBC bears no accountability for material on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.