Kyren Wilson pulls out of tournament hours after banking £350k with Masters snooker win | Other | Sport
Kyren Wilson’s first move as Masters champion was to pull out of this week’s Championship League event. The Warrior overcame legendary potter John Higgins to secure his first-ever Masters title, just 12 months on from defeat in the final to Shaun Murphy.
It’s a welcome return to the winner’s circle for Wilson, who just a few weeks earlier was knocked out in the first round of the UK Championship, where he admitted to having come close to a mental breakdown after the loss. But after securing the title at the Alexandra Palace in north London, Wilson understandably didn’t fancy getting straight back to business on Monday at the Championship League.
Wilson – who pocketed £350,000 for his Masters win – was replaced by Oliver Lines for the event held in Leicester. Lines joined the likes of Mark Selby, Xiao Guodong, Neil Robertson, Stuart Bingham, Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize in the group.
Wilson made no secret that he was desperate to win the Masters title, and the former world champion was overcome with emotion after securing the win. He said at Ally Pally: “In 2018 I lost in the final and cried and I’m trying not to cry now as it means so much to me. It was an honour and privilege to share the table with an idol of mine.
“It was just an absolute dogfight and I tried to be as dogged as John has been over the years, and that is why he has been so successful. I’m glad he’s managed to give me one for a change. I never make it easy for myself. I always seem to do it the hard way. I don’t know why, it frustrates the life out of me but I will always give it my all. Even if I’m struggling I will fight until the end until I finally get my hands on some silverware.”
Higgins wasn’t at the races throughout the contest, with the Scottish icon bemoaning his performance after the defeat. Speaking post-match, he said: “I was just useless. Take no credit away, Kyren was by far the better player. He was totally dominant – it wasn’t even a 10-6 match.”
