Jack Lisowski will more than likely have woken up this morning feeling disappointed after his tight defeat to Stephen Maguire in the opening UK PTC event of the season.
His deflated emotions will be natural having come so close to win his maiden professional title in only his second final.
The missed yellow that cost him the match-winning clearance will undoubtedly haunt Lisowski but there is more cause for seeking out the positives rather than the negatives.
With his run to the final, which included impressive 4-3 wins over Judd Trump and Mark Williams, Lisowski has once again reiterated his status as one of the most hotly tipped young players in the game.
The 21 year-old enjoyed an amazing debut campaign in 2010/11 that would eventually lead him to a Rookie of the Year accolade.
Things last season did not go quite as well for a variety of reasons, the pressure of being in friend and practice partner Trump’s shadow adding to the equation.
It can be good to be around people who are enjoying success but it can be equally difficult to break out of their mold and stature – particularly with someone like Trump who has become a superstar in snooker realms over the past 18 months.
Lisowski will probably benefit from becoming a little more independent in his approach to the game, something that will undoubtedly aid his inevitable rise up the rankings.
It will be interesting to see if yesterday’s defeat has much of an impact on him but the likelihood is that he’ll bounce back without too many scars and with tournaments coming left, right and center there is an even greater chance that he’ll simply go from strength to strength.
For Maguire, it’s his second PTC victory in 2012 after claiming the final event of last season’s series in January.
The Scot has been on a hot-streak since then but has ultimately failed to add any major silverware to his trophy cabinet.
Final defeats in the German Masters and China Open, along with a tough last four loss at the hands of Ali Carter in Sheffield, has meant that he has fallen just short a lot in recent times.
A gritty and aggressive personality, the 31 year-old will more than likely be unsatisfied with his career to date.
Maguire has won four ranking events, including the 2004 UK Championship, but his talent and desire would have asked for greater achievements by this stage of his life on the pro circuit.
There is still plenty of time for him to achieve all of his goals and the confidence garnered from his performances in Gloucester should help.
Of course, the problem for most of the top players on the circuit at the moment is that it is so difficult to be a dominant force given the fact that there are simply so many potential winners in the higher echelons.
