A relieved Barry Hawkins avoided what he described as the “biggest collapse of all time” as he ended his three-year wait for a ranking title with a 9-5 victory at the Welsh Open.
Hawkins, Welsh runner-up to John Higgins in 2018, was up against Jack Lisowski in the final at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, and seemingly cruising after winning seven of the first eight frames. But, needing just two for his first Welsh crown, the Ditton potter lost the first three of the evening session.
A fortunate red in frame 12 paved the way for a 68 break to get the Hawk back on course, but he had to wait one more frame after Lisowski’s run of 53 made it 8-5.
That was as good as it got for the Cheltenham man, though, and Hawkins, who registered wins over former world champions Mark Williams and Neil Robertson on his way to the final, took frame 14 70-1 to claim a first ranking crown since his 9-6 win over Judd Trump in the European Masters in 2023 and £100,000 in prize money.
On winning his fifth ranking event, Hawkins said: “It means the world, really. I come close a couple of times last season to a couple of big titles and I feel like maybe I deserved this little one. I’ve been knocking on the door a little while.
“It’s for you to lose really, you know, 7-1 up, all of a sudden things start going through your head and [it] could be the biggest, I don’t know, collapse of all time.
“I’m just finally delighted to get over the line in the end [because] I was feeling it to be fair.”
The victory no doubt went down well with the members at Jordans Bar in Rainham, where Hawkins is resident pro, and he paid tribute to his mentor, Les Church, who died in 2024, as well as friend who passed away last October.
He also dedicated his win to his father, saying: “[My dad] is going through a hard time at the moment and hopefully this picks up his spirits and gives him something to fight for. This one’s for you, dad.”
