Jack Lisowski is into the Masters semi-finals for the first time (Picture: Getty Images)
Jack Lisowski overcame nightmare preparation for his Masters quarter-final against Hossein Vafaei, as a migraine left him unable to see just hours before the match at Alexandra Palace.
Jackpot ended up winning the match 6-4 to reach the semis of the tournament for the first time, but he was worried it was going to be a washout when his vision disappeared earlier in the day.
Luckily he managed to get some sleep and felt well enough to put in a good performance in north London, but he admits he was panicking when the migraine struck.
‘This afternoon I panicked. I couldn’t see anything, it was lights out,’ said Lisowski. ‘I was really worried that I had lost the match, there and then.
‘I slept for three hours and after that I could see, I just had a foggy head. To win the first two frames tonight settled me down because I had no idea what I was going out to.
‘Thank God the match was at 7pm because if it had been earlier I wouldn’t have been able to hit the white in a straight line, let alone win. I haven’t had a migraine for ages and I’m not sure what set it off. It has been a very long, draining day and it hasn’t sunk in that I’m in the semi-finals.’
The 31-year-old settled remarkably quickly given the circumstances, opening up with breaks of 96 and 76, but Vafaei hit back with a 68 and then a superb 143, the joint highest break of the tournament so far.
The match reached 4-4 before Lisowski won a tight ninth and then made an excellent 74 to progress to the semis where he will face Mark Williams after the Welshman edged out Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-5 in a classic on Thursday afternoon.
Lisowski is still hunting down his first professional title and now faces arguably the biggest game of his snooker life so far on Saturday against the three-time world champ.
‘It sets up probably the biggest game of my career so far against Williams,’ he said. ‘I got to the semis of the UK a few months ago, back here. It’s just like a dream, three or four years ago I couldn’t win a game here, to be in the semi-finals feels amazing.’
He added: ‘He’s one of the greatest players ever, if I can’t get up for that, I can’t get up for anything. It’s a dream.’
Hossein Vafaei wants to be back for more after a memorable Masters debut (Picture: Getty Images)
Vafaei will take home some great memories from his first appearance at the Masters, beating Mark Selby in round one and then knocking in that fabulous break in defeat to Lisowski.
The popular Iranian loved the experience and will be fighting to be back for more next year, after his late call-up this time round thanks to replacing Zhao Xintong due to suspension.
‘I was enjoying it, I need to work harder, keep knocking on the doors until I win the big one. Those days are not far away, I just need to keep practicing hard,’ he told Eurosport.
‘I’m very positive now about my future, I’m enjoying my snooker again.
‘It’s been a fantastic journey, a fantastic week for me, like a dream. I didn’t want it to finish.’
The quarter-finals are completed on Friday as Judd Trump takes on Barry Hawkins and Shaun Murphy plays Stuart Bingham, with the winners clashing on Saturday.
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‘It was lights out.’
