Selby exits Northern Ireland Open as Lisowski begins title defence with win

Mark Selby was knocked out of the Northern Ireland Open in the first round as defending champion Jack Lisowski advanced in Belfast. BBC Sport reported that Louis Heathcote beat Selby 4-2, while Lisowski defeated Huang Jiahao 4-1 at the Waterfront Hall. Xiao Guodong was another first-round casualty on an opening day that also brought a defeat for Aaron Hill.

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Selby had taken the first two frames against Heathcote, putting him halfway to the four needed for victory. The match then changed direction completely: Heathcote won four consecutive frames to eliminate the four-time world champion. Selby, ranked fifth in the world and already a China Open winner this year, did not add another frame after establishing his early advantage.

The defeat also ended Selby’s attempt at this event to become the first player to win all four Home Nations tournaments. Instead of progressing in pursuit of that distinction, he joined the list of early departures in Belfast. Heathcote’s recovery from 2-0 down accounted for one of the most prominent players in the opening-round results reported by BBC Sport.

Lisowski avoided a similar reversal after moving three frames ahead of Huang. The 35-year-old Englishman lost the fourth frame but settled the fifth on the black to complete a 4-1 win. His return to Belfast came a year after he secured his first ranking title at this tournament, beating Judd Trump in the final to claim the trophy he is now defending.

The next opponent for Lisowski will be Scotland’s Anthony McGill. McGill earned his place in round two by defeating Stephen Maguire 4-1, matching Lisowski’s winning score. Both players therefore progressed after conceding only one frame in their opening matches, setting up their meeting in the next round of the defending champion’s campaign.

Elsewhere, England’s Sam Craigie overcame Xiao in a match that went to a deciding frame. Hill, from Cork, lost 4-2 to Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. Those results left Lisowski and McGill through alongside Heathcote, Craigie and Un-Nooh, while Selby, Xiao, Hill, Huang and Maguire all exited at the first hurdle.