Jack Lisowsk of England defeated Luca Brecel in the first round at Alexandra Palace thanks to some incredible play. The world champion berated his “bad” form and said, “If I keep playing like this, you’ll see me in Q School” in 2025.
Jack Lisowski of England defeated world champion Luca Brecel in the first round of the Masters after an incredible effort in the opening set at Alexandra Palace.
Despite being ranked second here, Belgian Brecel has struggled since winning the world championship for the first time in May. Lisowski defeated him 6-2, and Brecel was no match for the 16th-seeded opponent.
At the mid-session break, the 32-year-old Lisowski sprinted to a 4-0 lead and finished with five breaks of fifty or more and a century.
Lisowski capitalized on a potted white to take a commanding 3-0 lead. He then followed with an even 100 break to increase his lead, the 300th century of his career, and was only four shy of another.
The next frame saw much of the same until Brecel scored 72 and 80 to cut the margin in half. That was his best chance, but Lisowski recovered to win the next two and validate a statement result.
After the game, Brecel spoke with the BBC and offered no explanations for his loss.
Brecel stated in a dejected tone, “Terrible.” If I continue to play this way, Q School 2025 will see me.
“Recapturing his form is something I can and will do, but right now it’s just not good enough. I’m thrilled for Jack because he’s a fantastic player.”
Lisowski advances to the quarterfinals, where he will face either Shaun Murphy or Zhang Anda of China on Thursday thanks to his outstanding opening round performance. On Sunday night, Zhang and Murphy will perform.
After placing second in six ranking tournaments since 2018, Lisowski is vying for his first major championship. Last year, Lisowski was defeated by Mark Williams 6-0 in the semi-finals.
“It’s the scariest tournament to play in, in my opinion,” Lisowski said of the Masters, which is being held for the 50th time. “It’s one of them that you get very nervous coming into it.”
