World Snooker Championship star left red-faced after Jack Lisowski comments
Jack Lisowski booked his spot in the second round of the World Snooker Championship with a victory over Ding Junhui.
David Gilbert has been left with egg on his face over comments he made regarding Jack Lisowski and Luca Brecel ahead of the World Snooker Championship. The Brit talked up the latter ahead of the World Snooker Championship but the Belgian has already been knocked out of the competition while Lisowski advanced.
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‘Belgian Bullet’ Brecel headed to the Crucible with hopes of retaining his title, which consequently propelled him up the world rankings and saw him become one of the biggest figures in the sport.
The 29-year-old has enjoyed a lavish lifestyle since his victory over Mark Selby in the final of last year’s competition, splashing his new-found cash on a Ferrari, a Range Rover and travelling around Europe.
Brecel was keen to land consecutive titles at Sheffield but fell at the first hurdle, being beaten by Gilbert. His 10-9 defeat highlighted that the Belgian star is not the finished article yet, and also highlighted why he has not dominated the headlines in the run-up to the competition.
Before the World Championship got underway, Gilbert questioned why the WST (World Snooker Tour) were not using Brecel as a poster boy for the competition as he was confident that his opponent would reach the latter stages of the tournament – downplaying Lisowski’s hopes in the process.
He said: “Luca Brecel is the boy. He has maximum flair, spends all his money. Lives like a playboy. He plays the game how kids want to play. How World Snooker haven’t had that boy as the main focus for every comp this year, I have no idea.
“You are all hyping Jack Lisowski every day and the guy hasn’t even won anything. He gets more coverage than Luca still. I find it unbelievable. Luca is the one. I’d love moments like he had last year. But I don’t have Luca’s power.”
Lisowski, in contrast, did manage to make it to the second round of the championship after a blockbuster clash with Ding Junhui. The English star stormed into a 9-7 lead before losing back-to-back frames but avoided an early exit with two sensational long reds to secure the victory over his valiant opponent.
