Only eight players are still standing in Cheltenham …
Here is the report by WST on what went on yesterday:
Unibet British Open Day Four
Stan Moody moved a huge step closer to winning a first ranking title as he beat all-time great John Higgins 4-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the Unibet British Open.
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Rising star Moody, age 19, has equalled his best run in a ranking event, as he also reached the last eight in Cheltenham a year ago. This time he faces Liam Highfield on Friday afternoon with the chance to earn a first semi-final berth.
Four-time World Champion Higgins was far from his best tonight and Moody took advantage, notably with a superb 69 clearance to win the last frame from 61-0 down. “It was quite a scrappy game but in the last frame I thought I might get one more chance and when it came I took it,” said Moody. ““
Jack Lisowski continued to build hopes of victory on home turf as he beat Lyu Haotian 4-1 with top breaks of 92, 59 and 66. Lisowski lives in Churchdown just a few miles away from Cheltenham and is just three wins away from doubling his tally of ranking titles having landed his first at the 2025 Northern Ireland Open.
“The balls were running in my favour today,” said the 35-year-old left-hander, who now meets Mark Selby. “He just seemed to keep letting me in, so I managed to take my chances and keep my concentration. It was nice to win without having to survive another decider. I’ve had a really good week in practice leading up to this and I’m hitting the ball well.
“I feel like my game’s back now and I’ve got to take advantage of it, strike while the iron’s hot, because it’s a very difficult game. Players like me are a bit streaky, so I really need to capitalise when I’m on it. It’s fantastic that it’s 15 minutes away from where I live, but it’s just another tournament, I’m taking it as seriously as possible.“
China Open champion Selby reached his 112th ranking quarter-final with a 4-2 win over Iulian Boiko, making breaks of 67, 53, 65 and 63.
Lisowski is hosting Judd Trump at his house this week and so far the draw has kept them apart. Trump raced to a 4-0 win over David Gilbert with top breaks of 118 and 105 and he now meets the player who has just taken over from him as world number one – Zhao Xintong. The Chinese ace beat Mark Joyce 4-2.
Championship League winner Jak Jones continued his fine start to the season as he beat Artemijs Zizins 4-2 with a top break of 130. Jones, whose wife Inna is due to give birth to their second son next week, now meets Aaron Hill. Ireland’s 24-year-old Hill, another player seeking a first ranking semi-final, saw off Fan Zhengyi 4-0 with a top run of 110.
Liam Highfield produced the best performance of Thursday evening’s session as he beat Long Zehuang 4-1 with breaks of 86, 104, 78 and 102. Highfield is into his third ranking quarter-final and hopes to progress to a first semi.
That report is exhaustive enough, it covers all the matches, there isn’t much to add.
The crowds have been good in Cheltenham all week and that’s good to see.
Jack Lisowski hosting Judd Trump shouldn’t be an issue even if they were to play each other. As young players, in the past, for a long period they shared a flat, so they have been there before and know how to handle it.
As for Stan Moody beating John Higgins … he probably scared the life out of him with that blond hairdo 😂. (Not so) seriously … personally I find it “striking” but not a particularly good idea for someone with Stan’s complexion. But who am I to express such opinion … I’m certainly no fashion guru 😂!