'One of the best venues on tour': Waterfront Hall set to host Northern Ireland Open next month
Jack Lisowski will return to the scene of his greatest triumph next month at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast as snooker's biggest names compete for the Alex Higgins Trophy at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open.
The draw for the tournament, which runs from October 18-25, is out now and as ever it's packed with legends of the sport as well as up-and-coming stars.
Lisowski beat Judd Trump 9-8 in a dramatic final last year to land his first ranking title, and those inside the arena will never forget the emotional moments when he celebrated with the trophy.
Looking back on his success, Lisowski said: “Belfast was incredible. The crowd was so good all week. It was such an amazing place to do it. I didn’t realise it would have been anything like that. When I won it all came out. I had no control over my body. Watching it back now, it is the greatest feeling I’ve ever had and the greatest achievement. I think it was worth the wait."
Trump added: "We go to a lot of places but the Waterfront Hall is definitely one of the best venues on the tour and everyone is always excited to play in the event.”
Some of the sport’s leading names such as Mark Selby, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Wu Yize, Neil Robertson and home favourite Mark Allen where also involved in the draw, where they will come up against a qualifier.
The qualifying rounds run from September 13-16 in Leicester. Players in action in the qualifiers will include Northern Ireland's Jordan Brown and Fergal Quinn, Cork's Aaron Hill and Leone Crowley, and legend Jimmy White.