JACK Lisowski booked his place back at the Crucible with a 10-3 win over two-time former finalist Matthew Stevens in the final qualifying round of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.
Lisowski, who reached the quarter-finals in 2022, has been an ever-present in the final stages since 2018 but dropped out of the top 16 after a relatively disappointing current campaign.
The 32-year-old Lisowski had too much for Stevens, making two centuries and five breaks over 50 to seal his place in Thursday morning’s first-round draw.
Lisowski said: “This is the best I have played all season, I have practised really hard for it and it’s a relief to get through.
“I have been to the Crucible for six years in a row and I want to do well this time. I know Ding got to the final (in 2016) having come through the qualifiers, and my plan was to turn a negative into a positive.”
Former world champion Stuart Bingham booked his place after winning the last three frames to sink Liam Heathcote 10-8, and Stephen Maguire fired three centuries as he recorded a 10-6 win over China’s Yuan Sijun.
Results
Jack Lisowski bt Matthew Stevens 10-3
Dominic Dale bt He Guoqiang 0-18
Lyu Haotian bt Jenson Kendrick 10-8
Robbie Williams bt Chris Wakelin 10-9
Ricky Walden bt Mark Davis 10-9
Stephen Maguire bt Yuan Sijun 10-6
Stuart Bingham bt Louis Heathcote 10-8
Jak Jones bt Zhou Yuelong 10-4
