Kyren Wilson’s red-hot run rolls on, with the in-form Englishman brushing aside Ali Carter and World No.1 Zhao Xintong at the Mattioli Arena to claim the final semi-final spot and stretch his winning streak to 14 successive matches.
Wilson said: “That was one of the best performances I’ve produced. He’s World No.1, so you have to play to that standard if you want to win or you’ll be on the receiving end of that. Annoyed I couldn’t get the 6–0 result, I just cued across a red slightly to let him in or that would have definitely been my best performance. I enjoy playing against Zhao. He knows how to play the game in the right way, like I feel I try to do, and because of that you can bounce off each other and get the momentum to keep rolling.”
Reflecting on his 14th consecutive match win, Wilson added: “The standard on tour is so incredibly high, so to win 14 in a row is awesome. They’ve been big tournaments, so long may that continue.”
Wilson wasted no time in the group final, taking control from the outset with a dominant run of frames that included century breaks of 100 and 123 in the second and third. Unbeaten since lifting back-to-back titles at the Northern Ireland Open and International Championship, he kept up the pressure through the fourth and fifth. The fifth was built on fine long potting and tactical play and brought his 27th century break of the season, leaving him 5–0 ahead.
A whitewash looked on the cards until an uncharacteristic missed red in the sixth let Zhao back in, and the Chinese star took his chance with a break of 78 to get on the scoreboard. Zhao had a further opening in the seventh when Wilson missed the black, but he missed a cut to let Wilson back to the table. The Englishman made no mistake, closing out a 6–1 win and securing his place in another Champion of Champions semi-final.
Zhao had earlier booked his place in the group final with a whitewash of Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. The opening frame was tight, with Zhao edging it by just ten points, but the Cyclone then cruised through the next three with runs of 85, 85 and 76 to complete a 4–0 win.
Wilson’s route to the group final was far less smooth sailing against Ali Carter. Wilson took the opening frame with a composed break of 76, before the Captain responded to level in the second. Wilson’s shot-making then carried him through the third and fourth to open up a two-frame lead. Carter pulled one back in the fifth, but Wilson sealed the sixth to complete a 4–2 win and set up his showdown with Zhao.
With the semi-final line-up now complete, attention turns to tomorrow’s first semi-final, where Neil Robertson takes on Chris Wakelin. Robertson is chasing a third Champion of Champions title, while Wakelin, who knocked out defending champion Mark Selby on the opening day, is through to the last four of this event for the first time. Wilson will then face Shaun Murphy in the second semi-final on Saturday 14th November.
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