PTC Grand Finals Day 1

Jack Lisowski defeated World number 2 Mark Selby 4-3
in the evening session. Image: Monique Limbos

The Dafabet PTC Grand Finals got underway on Tuesday with players topping the European and Asian Players Tour Championship Order of Merit Lists battling to win the £100,000 winner’s prize.

The biggest surprise of the day came in the evening session as Jack Lisowski defeated world number 2 Mark Selby after a final frame decider. Lisowski had already beaten Selby twice in their previous three encounters but found himself 1-0 down after the man who topped the European Order of Merit knocked in a 76 in the opener. Lisowski responded with a 65 in the next and went 2-1 and 3-2 up but a 95 from Selby ensured the match went the distance. Lisowski laid two snookers in the final frame which gave him the chance to clear up and secure a place in the last 16.

There was another thrilling match which was went to a decider as amateur Joe Swail performed a magnificent comeback to come back from 3-0 down to beat Stephen Maguire 4-3. Maguire knocked in breaks of 89, 56 and 52 and was in the balls in the fourth but Swail managed to clinch it on the yellow to pink. He also took the fifth as the pendulum began to swing his way and he pulled it back to 3-3 with a 69 in frame six. ‘The Outlaw’ then took the decider after a slip-up from Maguire.

He’ll face Mark Allen in the last 16 after the fellow Ulsterman defeated Mark Davis 4-0. Allen took the opener with a 67 and also dominated the second. Davis had chances to take both the third and fourth frames but missed pots in both of those matches allowed Allen to complete the whitewash.

The first match of the day saw Tom Ford defeat Martin Gould 4-2. Gould took the opener with a 100 break but Ford won the next on the back and an 80 saw him go 2-1 up. Gould did make it 2-2 but Ford rattled off the next two, including a top break of 66.

Barry Hawkins made short work of Chinese amateur Li Hang as he recorded a 4-0 win. Li had secured his place in the Grand Finals mainly due to his excellent run to the final of the third event of the Asian Player’s Tour Championship. Hawkins produced top breaks of 100 and 75 to record the whitewash.

Neil Robertson also progressed in the day’s other match as he defeated Jamie Burnett 4-2. Scotland’s Burnett was 2-0 up at one point but Robertson hit back with four on the bounce, including a run of 82 in the fourth, to complete the victory.