Mark Allen's NI Open trophy bid over at semi-final stage with Belfast loss to Judd Trump

World number one Trump booked a spot in his 50th ranking event final after ending home participation by seeing off Mark Allen, 6-3, on Saturday evening.

Whilst Lisowski gracefully waltzed his way into the Belfast title match, Trump had to be patient after a protracted contest that drew long bouts of tactical play.

Trump won the opening frame having required snookers, although two-time champion here Allen levelled at one apiece. The Englishman went back in front with the aid of a 73, but Antrim star Allen restored parity heading into the break after an effort of 68.

The former Masters and UK Champion then went ahead for the first time with a 135.

However, Trump strung together the next four frames (breaks of 82 and 66) to end English Open champion Allen’s 10-match winning streak on this season’s Home Nations Series.

‘The Ace in the Pack’ continues to strengthen his remarkable Northern Ireland Open stats sheet. The record four-time champion - with triumphs in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2023 - will be appearing in his sixth NI final within the past eight years having been runner-up to Wilson last year. Trump has now won 43 of his last 46 matches in this competition.

The 36-year-old will be seeking his 31st career ranking event win but his first since his UK Championship glory at the start of last December.

As well as friends and former housemates, Lisowski and Trump have been familiar opponents down the years, sharing the table for several very big occasions.

Trump holds a comfortable advantage when it comes to their head-to-head record. He has won their last eight meetings, including their most recent one in the round of 32 at the Wuhan Open in August.

Three of their encounters have already been in ranking event finals with Trump coming out on top each time: 2020 World Grand Prix (Trump 10-7), 2021 German Masters (Trump 9-2), 2021 Gibraltar Open (Trump 4-0), although all those title ties were played behind-closed-doors due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Sunday’s 2025 Northern Ireland Open final will be played across two sessions starting at 13:00GMT (eight frames scheduled) and 19:00GMT (to a conclusion).

Lisowski is into the seventh ranking event final of his career - but his first in over four-and-a-half years - and he will be hoping to break his duck by winning his maiden professional title having been runner-up on each of his six previous final appearances.

The world number 29, who had eliminated Mark Selby and reigning champion Kyren Wilson from the tournament in recent days, was in sizzling scoring form as he defeated Zhou Yuelong, 6-1, during the afternoon session in the capital city.

After depositing a close opening frame, Lisowski crafted breaks of 125 and 124 in consecutive frames before an effort of 66 helped him go into the mid-session interval in complete control at 4-0 up.

On resumption, Chinese cueist Zhou - who was looking for back-to-back Home Nations Series event finals having been pipped in the English Open showpiece last month - got on the scoreboard with frame five.

However, that would prove to be just a minor inconvenience for 'Jack-Pot' as he compiled another run of 125 before completing the job in frame seven.

One of the professional circuit's most naturally gifted players, Lisowski is arguably the best cueist on tour without a ranking crown on his CV, although that could all change this weekend.

It has been a frustrating few seasons on the World Snooker Tour for Lisowski having slipped outside the world's top 16, and away from the green baize he has had to deal with the unexpected death of his father earlier this year.

The 34-year-old has a big hurdle to overcome on Sunday if he wants to realise his dream of lifting a top tier trophy, but speaking to the World Snooker Tour shortly after his latest outing, a confident Lisowski feels that he is now better equipped to tick that box.

"I feel like I can pot any ball at the moment, I'm more surprised when I miss. I have been putting the work in and when it comes off out there it's a great feeling. I have changed my cue, changed my tip, and got a coach with new ideas so maybe it's a new version of myself. My game is heading in the right direction which is a relief because I have had a quiet couple of seasons where I have played some really good games but not put a run together.

"I think I'm way better than I was when I was last in a final. My good game is much stronger and my bad game is a bit better too.”

Visit National World’s Totally Snookered website (www.totallysnookered.com) for all the NI Open information.