Wilson Triumphs Over Trump In Xi’an Final

Kyren Wilson built on his World Championship success with a 10-8 final victory over Judd Trump to win the new Xi’an Grand Prix in China.

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Full of self belief following his Crucible glory in May, Wilson beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-4 in the semi-finals on Saturday before a hard-fought win over world number one Trump to land the trophy and £177,000 top prize.

A fiercely contested final never had more than one frame between the two players, until Kettering’s 32-year-old Wilson came from 8-7 down to take the last three frames. In the home of the famous Terracotta Army, snooker’s Warrior was the last man standing.

Wilson’s tally of seven career ranking titles puts him ahead of Ken Doherty, Stuart Bingham, Stephen Maguire and Ali Carter on the all-time list. It’s his second ranking crown in China, having won his maiden title at the 2015 Shanghai Masters.

Not every World Champion thrives under the spotlight and added expectation; 2023 king Luca Brecel struggled for results for most of last season. But Wilson has risen to that challenge very early in the campaign, and will go into the forthcoming Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters with sky-high confidence.

Trump missed out on a 29th ranking title, which would have taken him above Steve Davis into fourth place on his own on the all-time list. Having won last month’s Shanghai Masters, he came close to a perfect start to the season, but today’s result ends a ten-match unbeaten streak. The 35-year-old has the consolation of taking over from Mark Allen at the top of the world rankings having banked £76,000.

Trailing 5-4 after the opening session, Trump took three of the first four frames today with top breaks of 53 and 66 to go 7-6 ahead. Wilson levelled before Trump’s 104 edged him ahead again. A run of 54 helped Wilson make it 8-8.

Trump looked set to pinch frame 17 from 49-1 behind until a routine positional shot from black to last red went awry. He later lost a tactical exchange on the yellow, handing Wilson the chance to take the lead.

An early chance for Wilson in the 18th yielded just 22, but Trump’s weak safety left him among the balls again and he added 89 to clinch victory.

“I tried to stay as resilient as possible,” said Wilson. “Neither of us played our best but it was great to be a part of the final in front of a packed house. Having lost 6-0 to Zhou Yuelong in Shanghai, I am so glad to have come here and proved why I am World Champion. I just kept pushing and trying to get over the line first.

“I know I need to start challenging and lifting more of these trophies because Judd is a long way ahead of me in terms of ranking titles. When I get the chance to beat him in a final I have to make it count.

“Since the World Championship I have been trying to search for that high,” added Wilson, who admitted he needed a bigger waistcoat this week having celebrated to excess during the summer. “I’ve gone a bit off the rails because I was searching for the wrong high. Now I am more focussed on the big tournaments because there is so much on offer. I had dreamed of being World Champion since I was six. I have reaced the pinnacle but I’m still young and I have a lot more to give.

“I’m heading to Dubai now for a holiday with the family. Before I came here I told my kids I was going to make them proud this week.”

Trump said: “I made too many mistakes. I had a chance at 8-8. I didn’t play well in the whole tournament. I was happy to make a fight of it today, but I lost all the close frames.”

Article by WST.