Hawkins Secures Maiden Welsh Open Victory
Barry Hawkins, who last reached the Welsh Open final in 2018, delivered a commanding performance to win his first Welsh Open title by defeating Jack Lisowski 9-5 in the final at Venue Cymru in Llandudno.
Hawkins dominated the afternoon session, capturing seven of the first eight frames to establish a commanding lead that appeared insurmountable.
Despite this, Lisowski mounted a challenge in the evening session, winning the first three frames and briefly threatening a comeback.
However, Lisowski's resurgence was halted in the 12th frame when a fluke pot on a red ball initiated a break of 68 points for Hawkins, bringing him within one frame of victory.
Two frames later, Hawkins ended a three-year wait for a ranking title, lifting the Ray Reardon trophy for the first time at age 46.
"It means the world," said Hawkins.
"I've came close a couple times last season, I've been knocking on the door for a little while so I feel like I deserved one.
"Playing that man [Lisowski] is so scary, he pots balls from everywhere and you can't leave them safe on the table.
"It's never over until it is over, and I'm delighted to get over the line because I was feeling it."
Early Dominance and Key Breaks
Hawkins, who was defeated by John Higgins in the 2018 final, took early control by winning the opening frame with a break of 105.
Lisowski responded by leveling the match in the second frame, but Hawkins then secured six consecutive frames to pull ahead decisively.
During this streak, Hawkins produced another century break in the fourth frame, complemented by three half-century breaks of 67, 76, and 88 points.
The afternoon session concluded with Hawkins leading 7-1 over Lisowski as they entered the final session of the tournament.
Lisowski's Fightback and Hawkins' Closing Strength
Playing in his first Welsh Open final, Lisowski demonstrated resilience at the resumption of play, compiling back-to-back century breaks to signal his intent and reduce the deficit.
The 34-year-old then won a tightly contested 40-minute frame, narrowing Hawkins' lead to 7-4.
However, Hawkins regained momentum in the following frame when a long safety shot caused a red ball to inadvertently drop into the bottom left pocket, allowing him to capitalize with a break of 68 and move within one frame of the title.
Lisowski managed to claim one additional frame with a break of 53, but Hawkins ultimately secured the Welsh Open championship in the 14th frame.
"I was very poor despite trying my best," said Lisowski.
"Barry was by far the better player today and he deserves his win.
"He's been great to me my whole career, even when I was very young. He's always given me the time of day so I'm very happy for him."
