How Jack Lisowski has emulated Ronnie O'Sullivan's golden touch in hunt for first major snooker title at Northern Ireland Open

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Jack Lisowski chases a first major ranking title at the seventh time of asking when he faces close friend Judd Trump in the final of the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast on Sunday. The first man to nine frames will claim the Alex Higgins Trophy and £100,000 prize, with the title match live on TNT Sports and discovery+. The formidable Lisowski technique will be familiar to fans across the globe.

'Oh my goodness' - Lisowski pots stunning long red

Video credit: TNT Sports

Jack Lisowski produced one of the finest performances of his 15-year professional career on Saturday, as he swamped Zhou Yuelong 6-1 with a brilliant barrage of scoring to book his spot in the final of the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.

World No. 30 Zhou went into the semi-final only one spot lower in the rankings than Lisowski, but the gap between the pair was wider than the city's River Lagan, with Zhou left washed away by the deluge.

Breaks of 125, 124, 66, 53 and 125 from the man dubbed 'Jackpot' set Lisowski up for his latest shot at glory in reaching a seventh major ranking final in Northern Ireland, a country historically devoted to charismatic world champions in the form of Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins and Dennis Taylor.

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The other six finals have all gone south, with two defeats to Neil Robertson, one to Mark Selby and three to Judd Trump denying him the chance to translate desire into career-defining fulfilment.

It is curious he comes across his close childhood chum Judd Trump for a fourth time on such a revered occasion, a figure and friend who has been his nemesis as much as a confidant.

While Trump would be thrilled to see Lisowski make good on his early promise, there is no doubt that he will not hesitate to twist the knife on the Waterfront, a venue where he is chasing a record-extending fifth title since 2018.

The world No. 1 ended Mark Allen's hopes with a 6-3 win after a bruising lengthy battle on Saturday night, but only after Allen had done a number on his practice partner and good pal Jordan Brown (5-2) in the quarter-finals.

As clinical as it sounds, there is no room for friends when push comes to shove on the old green baize, with The Alex Higgins Trophy, a £100,000 winner's cheque and elite achievement overriding sentiment.

Lisowski certainly has the ability to overturn Trump in a major final, but the question is yet to be answered about whether he can withstand the mental torrents that rage.

Trump is 13-5 clear on the career head-to-heads, and has not lost to Lisowski since a 6-2 defeat in the quarter-finals of the 2018 International Championship, almost seven years ago to the day in the Chinese city of Daqing.

'Terrific' - Lisowski makes third century of match

Video credit: TNT Sports

The closest he has got to bunting on the big occasion was coming within three frames of Selby (9-6) in the final of the 2019 Scottish Open and Trump (10-7) at the 2020 World Grand Prix.

An air of personal grief and foreboding will overshadow this final after Lisowski was forced to withdraw from their scheduled meeting at the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong in March due to the sudden death of his father.

"It is incredibly difficult to play him at the best of times, but after what has happened in the past six or eight months, it is not easy," said Trump on TNT Sports.

"What it would mean to him and the timing of it, it is not going to be easy.

"Either I win and I hate it, or he wins, and I'm very pleased for him. If I lose, I'll be so happy for him, but I'm going to give it 100% and see what happens.

"He's a tournament winner, even though you've not seen it yet. After six or eight months of what happened, he's managed to get himself together and has shown a lot of fight this week."

'Who takes them on?' - Trump dazzles with stunning pot

Video credit: TNT Sports

His recovery in the aftermath of such a harrowing experience hints at a man on a mission, but what happens if this final gets tight, as one suspects it could, on Sunday night?

Does Lisowski have the minerals to get the job done? The technique has never been in doubt.

In many ways, his success has been based on a formidable approach to the game that closely resembles Ronnie O'Sullivan, the snooker GOAT, in the way he addresses the ball with his stance and delivery of the cue through the shot akin to the seven-time world champion.

Study the way he follows through and stays down on the shot and the way the cue seems to reverberate in his cue arm through impact.

It is classic O'Sullivan in the way he can move and manipulate the white ball to suit his needs.

Now all he needs is a title to go with it.

After edging Lisowski 5-4 in the last 32 of the World Open in February, Ali Carter commented: "In one sense, I really enjoyed playing Jack Lisowski, because he's the closest thing we've got to Ronnie O'Sullivan.

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"But when you're playing him, you've just got a tiger by its tail the whole time. He goes on one, he's so inspirational, and for me to grind out a victory there – and it was a grind – was very pleasing."

One of the game's good guys, Lisowski has a very particular set of snooker skills that were made to inspire.

But remaining the sport's greatest nearly-man is hardly a job description that befits the life and times of such a monstrous natural talent.

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Watch and stream the Northern Ireland Open live on discovery+

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