Liu Hongyu’s defeat against Si Jiahui at the English Open saw the Chinese potter fall foul of a lesser-known rule. Liu had been looking strong in the fifth frame of the match, with the score tied at 2-2 in a race to four.
Boasting a 21-4 lead, Liu sunk a red but was left scratching his head after the pack failed to split as he’d hoped. Finding himself in a bit of a pickle, the only ball he had a direct view of was the black, but even that wasn’t an easy shot.
He instead opted to play a safety shot aiming for the green, with Neal Foulds saying on TNT Sports commentary: “I’m not sure how he would have hit the black, maybe he would have needed a stepladder.”
To the frustration of the English Open semi-finalist, he failed to make contact with the baulk colour on two occasions and was warned by the referee that a further miss would cost him the frame. He changed tack slightly, opting to go for the pink, but his horror frame continued, with Liu hitting the red instead of his nominated ball.
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Liu’s head dropped to the ground immediately upon realisation that he’d suffered defeat in the frame because of the three-miss rule. The worst part about it, as far as Liu was concerned, he was leading the frame at the time as well!
Opponent Si was nonethewiser though, with his Chinese compatriot stepping up out of his chair and preparing to take the next shot. Si had to be informed that the frame was over, and much to his surprise, he was the unlikely winner. The referee was caught over the microphones saying: “He had the direct position to see a colour, and he did not [hit one] so he loses the frame.”
It proved a fatal mistake for Liu, who, in the end, was on the receiving end of a 59 break from Si. Having been given the helping hand of the three-miss frame, it was enough to take Si into the fourth round, where he will play former world champion Luca Brecel.
Elsewhere at the English Open, Judd Trump, Mark Williams, and Mark Selby have all progressed into the round of 32. However, fourth seed Kyren Wilson won’t be involved in the next stage, with the 2024 world champion having been beaten by fellow Englishman Robbie Williams.