World Snooker Championship: Kyren Wilson beats David Gilbert to make final | World Snooker Championship
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Kyren Wilson came on easy in his second World Snooker Championship final after scoring a 17-11 win over qualifier David Gilbert at the Crucible.
The 12th seed took three of the four frames needed in the third session on Saturday to complete a victory that gives him a second title fight after his defeated in the 2020 final by Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Five straight frames in their second session on Friday night had done the damage as Wilson turned a neck-and-neck clash that was well tied at 9-9 into a four-frame lead that looked like it would never go to waste.
Gilbert did cut the deficit to 14-11 with a break of 70 in the first frame of the day, but after coming out worse in a prolonged battle for safety in the next, his fate was virtually sealed.
Wilson punched the air and blew a kiss to his family in the stands after bagging the decisive blue and will start heavy favorite in his second final against Stuart Bingham or Jack Jones, who completed their last four clashes on Saturday night.
The 32-year-old then revealed he had benefited from sessions with a hypnotherapist during his run to the final, which comes at the end of a lackluster season in which he had just one semi-final on the tour, at the German Masters, to his name.
“It’s just about emptying your stress bucket,” Wilson said. “We all have things going on that can affect our daily lives and this has allowed me to get out there and be a little more free.
“When he [Gilbert] I missed a few in the third session, I knew I had to make it. Dave could get me off the table pretty easily, so I knew I had to win this mental battle.
It was an effort from Gilbert, the 2019 semi-finalist who arrived at the Crucible with few expectations after a period of personal turmoil and went on to win four straight frames to dispose of defending champion Luca Bressel in the first round. .
Gilbert admitted his latest defeat was easier to bear than his final-frame agony against John Higgins, but was still a little hurt by the manner of his defeat, blaming bad luck and questioning whether there was a “needle” from Wilson .
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“Kyren played a lot faster, like he thought I was a fool,” Gilbert said. “I don’t know if there was a little needle there. I went to wish him well and there wasn’t much of a handshake.
Wilson flatly rejected Gilbert’s offer, insisting he had “no problem” with his opponent and was looking forward to a final that would be very different to his heavy 2020 defeat by Ronnie O’Sullivan, which was played in front of only a third full arena due to covid regulations.
Jones built a 13-10 lead over Bingham in the third session of their semi-final, which was shortened a frame earlier than planned due to slow play.
Like Wilson, Jones rattled off five straight frames to turn a 9-8 deficit into a commanding lead in a hard-fought and error-filled affair that saw the average frame time exceed the 24-minute mark.
Bingham provided the highlight of the session, finishing with a sumptuous century, giving himself hope of preventing Jones from becoming the first qualifier to reach the Crucible final since Ding Junhui in 2016.
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