Adam Williams presents his prediction for the English Open qualifiers match.
Jack Lisowski
If we take away the short-format Championship League, Jack Lisowski has lost only three matches this season—to David Grace and Jack Jones in the qualifiers, and to Judd Trump at the Saudi Arabian Masters. The loss to Trump is understandable, but Lisowski should have won against Jack Jones, and especially David Grace. In Riyadh, Lisowski played three tense matches, but still emerged victorious.
Xu Si
Xu Si performed well in the qualifiers, winning three out of three matches. In Xi'an, Xu lost to future champion Kyren Wilson 5-1, and at the Saudi Arabian Masters, he lost to Artemijs Zizins 4-3. While this could be seen as a sensation, Zizins is a strong player, having impressed at the start of the season and standing an excellent chance of staying on the tour after a two-year card. In the English Open qualification, Xu Si beat Cheung Ka Wai 4-3. We noticed that Xu Si played a lot of matches this season with the total over frames.
Jack Lisowski vs Xu Si Prediction
That's where our bet comes from. We think Jack Lisowski won't be able to maintain a high level of play throughout the entire match, leading to scrappy frames that Xu Si will capitalise on. Xu is a very solid player, having won four consecutive matches with a score of 5-4 in Xi'an, including victories over Mark Williams and Stuart Bingham. We believe that the match with Lisowski will go to at least six frames. Both players know how to make high breaks, but they also give chances to their opponents.
