Mark Allen headed to the Welsh Open looking poised to land a £150k bonus, but a first-round exit cost him and he gracefully congratulated the man who took the prize from under his nose
Mark Allen was well placed to land a £150k bonus – but missed out in the final tournament
Mark Allen was gracious in defeat despite missing out on the Home Nations Series bonus to Jack Lisowski and joked he “cried himself to sleep” after the £150,000 jackpot passed him by.
Lisowski produced an impressive comeback, which included a classy break of 78 in the deciding frame of his semi-final bout with John Higgins to reach the final, which meant it was he who landed the six-figure sum.
Allen had put himself in pole position to claim the cash prize, but fluffed his lines in the Welsh Open to open the door for one of his rivals, who duly took the opportunity. Allen had been top of the rankings from the very start of the Home Nations campaign.
He claimed victory at the English Open in September and then backed that up with successive appearances in the semi-finals of both the Northern Ireland and Scottish Opens. His form came to an end in Wales, where he was dealt a first-round defeat to David Grace.
It meant Lisowski, who was one of only four players that could take the jackpot from his grasp, was presented with an opportunity and whilst Allen congratulated him, it was clearly a tough pill to swallow.
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He said on social media: “What a break, Jack Lisowski. Fair play. (I’m) not sure I’m ever gonna win that bonus. (That’s the) fourth time in six years I’ve been second.” Allen then followed it up with: “I cried myself to sleep after tweeting that”.
Lisowski had trailed Higgins 3-1 before fighting back to lead 4-3 and 5-4. The Scot was able force a deciding frame, but Lisowski was able to produce under huge pressure and claimed he was determined to keep potting balls until he claimed the win – and the cash.
Lisowski said on his winning break: “I was thinking just pot, don’t stop potting until you hear them clapping. I had some stinkers, some angle shots you don’t want when there is a lot of pressure on it. They were going in, and I was playing some really good stuff. I hit some good shots.”
He added on his impressive turnaround: “I felt like I could not get anything going, and I was playing the occasion. I was being stupid, really. I was in my shell and I just felt shackled. So I figured just get out there and open the balls.”
Lisowski will now turn his focus to a final with Barry Hawkins on Sunday. “You win one, and you have to go again,” he said. “It is the same for everyone.”
