German Masters Final: Judd Trump vs Jack Lisowski

It’s a repeat of the World Grand Prix title decider from the end of last year.

Judd Trump and Jack Lisowski will battle once again with silverware on the line after both reached the German Masters final at the Marshall Arena on Saturday.

Trump maintained his defence of the tournament with a remarkable comeback to deny Barry Hawkins in the last four.

The world number one looked out of it, and out of sorts, when he trailed the 41 year-old 5-1 in the race to six.

But a sequence of outrageous break building, which included three century breaks on the trot and several audacious pots, saw him overturn the deficit and secure a memorable 6-5 victory.

Lisowski’s progress was more serene, with the 29 year-old overcoming Tom Ford for the first time in his eighth attempt as a professional courtesy of a 6-2 scoreline.

Lisowski will be hoping it will be fifth-time lucky in terms of finally etching his name onto a ranking event trophy, having failed on each of his last four appearances in finals of this status.

The last of those defeats occurred just before Christmas when Trump held off Lisowski’s late charge to triumph 10-7 in an entertaining World Grand Prix duel.

Remarkably, this is the first time since 1995 that the same two players have contested consecutive ranking finals on the calendar.

Perhaps even more astonishing is the fact that this will be Trump’s sixth final appearance out of eight ranking tournaments staged so far during the 2020/21 campaign.

The 31 year-old – in addition to Lisowski, of course – has bounced back strongly from a positive COVID-19 test that forced the withdrawal of both players from the recent invitational Masters.

Trump’s ignorant dismissal of those results, in comments he made to snooker journalist Hector Nunns last week, has proven controversial.

Yet, it doesn’t appear to have affected his focus on the table and a 21st ranking crown is now firmly within reach.

Some of the creative shots that Trump has conjured throughout this event have almost defied belief, in what has been a throwback to his early days when he regularly produced his unique brand of naughty snooker.

Should Judd and Jack both win today, I believe it will be the first time since 1995 that the same two players will contest back-to-back full ranking event titles.

Last happened with Steve Davis and John Higgins in the Welsh and International Opens.

— Michael Day ⚪🔴🎱🎯 (@ViewCue) January 30, 2021

Lisowski has no shortage of talent either, and the Cheltenham cueist is widely regarded as one of the biggest underachievers in the game.

The former China Open runner-up has threatened regularly at the business end of events since 2018, but so far he has been unable to last the distance.

Lisowski gave an excellent account of himself against Trump in their World Grand Prix showdown, but going 7-2 behind was his ultimate downfall and it’s imperative that he gets off to a faster start on this occasion.

Overall, Trump boasts only a narrow head-to-head advantage from their prior encounters, so it’s not a foregone conclusion that he will romp to glory.

That said, the Bristol potter will undoubtedly be the favourite again in the betting online as he bids for a 13th ranking success in just over two years.

German Masters Final

Judd Trump (1) vs Jack Lisowski (15)

This year’s German Masters final is being played in Milton Keynes, away from its usual home of the Tempodrom in Berlin, as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Live coverage is on Eurosport. Other options are available by clicking here.

Click here to view the full draw (Times in CET)

Featured photo credit: WST