Kyren’s Shanghai Surprise

Kyren Wilson completed a remarkable triumph at the Bank of Communications Shanghai Masters by beating Judd Trump 10-9 in the final.

Wilson had never previously been beyond the quarter-finals of a ranking event, but went all the way to the £85,000 top prize at the Grand Stage in Shanghai. At 54th in the world he is one of the lowest-ranked players to win a full ranking title in snooker history. Dave Harold holds that record having been 93rd on the list when he won the 1993 Asian Open.

There were few signs that Kettering’s 23-year-old Wilson might be a contender this week as he reached the last 16 of just one ranking event last season. He became a father for the first time in February, and his new-found maturity and dedication to practice has clearly paid dividends.

He has captured his first pro title the hard way, winning three matches just to qualify for Shanghai, then beating wild card Wang Yuchen, Joe Perry, Michael Holt, home favourite Ding Junhui and Mark Allen before his dramatic win over Trump in an exciting final.

Wilson, who turned pro in 2010, will surge up the ranking list as a result of this victory and is surely destined to lift many more trophies. He also earns a spot at the Champion of Champions in Coventry in November,.

World number seven Trump was seeking his fifth ranking title from his ninth final but got off to a slow start and was never ahead.

The first four frames were shared, Trump making the better breaks with 81 and 72. Wilson then pulled away to lead 6-3 at the end of the first session, compiling runs of 71, 58 and 62. He also claimed the first of the evening session and though Trump’s 115 gave him the 11th frame, Wilson replied with 68 to lead 8-4.

Then came the Trump fightback as he won three in a row with top breaks of 76 and 50. Wilson made it 9-7 before Bristol’s 26-year-old Trump made 89 and 60 in getting to 9-9. But, despite his lack of experience at this level, Wilson remained calm and made a brilliant match-winning 75 in the decider.

“It’s every player’s dream to win his first ranking title. It will always stay in my memory. This is my breakthrough, just like Judd had his when he won the (2011) China Open,”  said Wilson, who only received the necessary visa on the day he flew to Shanghai last week. “I’ve got to stay grounded and keep practising hard. You’ve got to be so consistent to beat the top players.

“I felt like crying at the end because it means so much to me. It felt as if it was slipping away from me, so to pull through in the end was just a relief. The fans were fantastic and the noise will live with me forever.

“Judd put me under a lot of pressure from 9-7 down. He goes for his shots and you never feel safe against him. I got a half chance in the last frame with a red to a middle pocket and I just thought ‘this is my time.’ Luckily it went in and I cleared up.

“I didn’t want it to go to 9-9 but you just have to stay in the present and deal with what is in front of you. There wasn’t much I could do from 9-7, I just had to stick in there and wait for a chance.”

Former UK Champion Trump, who also lost the 2012 Shanghai final 10-9 to John Higgins, said: “I played so badly in the first session. Tonight I played ok but I threw a lot of frames away. I had more than enough chances to win, though I didn’t get one in the last frame and he made a really good break. It’s good to get to a final but disappointing to lose.”