Kyren Wilson blows shot at snooker history as 'silly' act leaves him with egg on his face

Daily Mirror

6 days ago

Former snooker world champion Kyren Wilson attempted a no-look shot at the conclusion of his clash with Si Jiahui at the Shanghai Masters, completely unaware of the stakes at play
Kyren Wilson says he doesn't regret his botched no-look shot against Si Jiahui at the Shanghai Masters, despite it costing him a piece of snooker history. The 2024 World Snooker Championship victor faced off against the gifted Chinese player in the last 16 of the tournament.
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During their best-of-11 encounter, Wilson and Jiahui managed six century breaks between them. This accumulation matched the record set by Judd Trump and Neil Robertson at the 2016 Masters, plus Robertson's later battle with Mark Selby in 2020.
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Having reached 97 in the decisive frame, Wilson had the chance to pot the black and set a new record for most centuries in a best-of-11 clash. Rather than rolling the black safely into the corner, Wilson looked away from the table and attempted to smash the black into the pocket with sheer force.
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His calculations were slightly off, as the ball bounced off the cushions and rolled clear of the pocket. Wilson did not realise the importance of that moment, but maintained he would have attempted the same audacious shot regardless.
When asked about his final attempt by the World Snooker Tour, he cheekily responded: "Oh no! I did the silly no-look thing." The World No. 2 then added: "Especially in China, I feel like the sport is blowing up over here and a lot of it is about doing things a little bit differently to other players.
"So try to have a bit of fun with no-look blacks. The crowd really appreciate that sort of thing and they like to see a little bit of characters from the players.
"Disappointed it didn't break the record, but I didn't know that. It was an amazing game to be involved in, every frame had a break over 70 or 80 or something like that.
"It was crazy, but so happy to win it. There's no chance I'd have just rolled that black in. I'd still do even if I knew about the record.
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"It is still about trying to do things differently. We are stepping into a modern era in snooker, and nice to see someone doing things a little bit different."
Wilson might have concluded with a touch of showmanship, but he was tested throughout by the World No. 15. The Kettering ace found himself behind at 3-1, 4-3 and 5-4 but still managed to overcome the Shaoxing potter, who compiled breaks of 55, 124, 139, 95 and 127, whilst Wilson notched up 120, 82, 114, 114 and 83.
Reflecting on the encounter, the 33-year-old, who will meet either Ronnie O'Sullivan or Barry Hawkins in the quarter-final, heaped praise on his opponent, saying: "I don't think a game can get any harder than that.
"I think up until the deciding frame he missed one ball. He was relentless and some of the balls he knocks in are frightening.
"I worked hard going into this event, and I'm glad I can see that hard work shining through. That has allowed me to battle back into the game and doing enough to win it. It is nice to still be involved."