SO CLOSE
Female snooker star Bai Yulu agonisingly falls one game short of history after heartbreak in UK Championship qualifying
Bai played Mark Williams in the Champion of Champions last week
BAI YULU fell agonisingly short in her quest for snooker history after losing 6-1 to Jack Lisowski the final qualifying round on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old star was just one win away from becoming the first woman to reach the last-32 of the UK Championship.
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Bai had chances to steal frames, notably in the second and seventh, but it was not to be for the young Chinese snooker sensation.
Six time ranking finalist Lisowski, 33, admitted that Bai's "storyline" was keeping him concentrated throughout the contest.
The winner said: "Obviously, it was all about Bai.
"It would have been incredible if she could have qualified, but she had an incredible run anyway.
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"It was just about trying to keep my concentration tonight. I get easily distracted at the best of times. So obviously, that storyline was in the back of my head.
"I think she missed the blue to make it 1-1 and then I made 50s and 60s each frame. I don't know.
"We sort of dragged each other down a little bit, but I'm happy to get through."
Before defeat to England's world No.21 Lisowski, Bai had won the final three frames to beat world No.44 6-5.
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She vowed to go one step more and create history, but quickly saw herself 4-0 down to Lisowski by the interval.
But Bai, who won the Women's World Championship earlier this year, had revealed earlier in the tournament that she'd "learned a lot".
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Speaking after her third qualifying win, after climbing back from 5-3 down, she said: "I was very nervous and I didn't think I would win, but I did well.
"I don't want to think too much about the next match, I have already done well to win three matches. I have learned a lot."
A victory would've handed her a place in the main draw in York this weekend.
The last-32 stage gets under way on Saturday and will be televised on the BBC.
The top 16 seeds will be drawn against 16 qualifiers, with record eight-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan defending the title.
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Bai, 120th in the rankings, had already become the first woman this century to win back-to-back matches at a ranking event with victories over Jamie Jones and Farakh Ajaib.
She was playing on the professional tour for the first time this season and had not won a match on the main tour before this week.
Lisowski now joins the likes of world champion Kyren Wilson and world No.1 Judd Trump at the York Barbican instead.
Bai is no stranger to the big stage, having played eventual winner Mark Williams at last week's Champion of Champions tournament.
She lost 4-1 to the Brit in his first group match.
Bai won the Women's World Championship in March to earn herself a two-year card on the World Snooker Tour.
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She was the first player from mainland China to win the women's world title.
After her potential was clear from an early age, she won the women's IBSF under-21 world title in 2019, turning 16 during the tournament.
The rules of snooker
THE aim of snooker is to clear the table of all balls - and achieving it in an incredible 147 break is the ultimate goal.
The rectangular table features green baize, a baulk line and semi-circle, known as the D.
It has six pockets, four in each corner and two midway down both long sides.
There are 15 red balls which are arranged in a triangular shape.
There are also six colour balls, and the white cue ball.
Each colour sits on its own designated spot at the start of the game.
While red balls are worth one point when potted, the colours all have a different value.
In ascending order these are:
- Yellow - two points
- Green - three points
- Brown - four points
- Blue - five points
- Pink - six points
- Black - seven points
The first player will cue off and must hit at least one of the red balls in the triangle.
If they pot a red, they can then continue by potting a colour.
However, if no red is potted then their opponent will play the next shot - going for a red first.
Each player must first pot a red ball when it's their turn to play. If nothing is pocketed it is the other player's turn at the table.
After each red is potted they must then follow with a colour, then a red, then a colour, and so on.
Whilst there are still red balls on the table, the potted colour balls are returned to their designated spot.
Once all the red balls are pocketed, the player at the table must pot the colours in the order as outlined above.
If they miss then their opponent will have the opportunity to clear the table.
A 147 is a maximum break when all reds are potted by one player in one stint at the table.
In order to achieve 147, the player must pot all 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points.
They must then clear all the colours, concluding with the black for 27 points.
During play the rules state that the cue must only touch the white cue ball.
The cue ball also must hit the correct colour ball - reds or colours in order.
If it hits the incorrect colour then a foul is called.
If the cue ball fails to hit any ball or is pocketed it is also a foul.
The player's turn at the table ends if they play a foul shot.
Players are also penalised if they touch any ball on the table with their person.
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