May 2nd 2024.
Kyren Wilson may be known as "the Warrior" on the snooker circuit, but there's much more to him than just his nickname. He's currently playing superbly in the World Snooker Championship, yet he still feels that his talent is underrated by some. Despite not having a great season, he's been in top form in Sheffield, with impressive wins over Dominic Dale, Joe O'Connor, and John Higgins.
Speaking of his victory over the four-time world champion, Wilson's powerful performance impressed even his opponent. "He just overpowered me," Higgins admitted, adding, "The conditions weren't great, but he was getting through the ball so well that it didn't matter. The best man won. He was by far the better player."
Meanwhile, Ronnie O'Sullivan was beaten by Stuart Bingham on the same night, leading Higgins to say, "On present play right now and watching him, even with Ronnie in, I'd say Kyren would be tough to stop."
In the highly unlikely semi-final line-up, Wilson will meet Dave Gilbert, while Jak Jones will face off against Stuart Bingham. Gilbert, who has looked fantastic on his way to the semi-finals, has nothing but respect for Wilson and his immense self-belief. "If I had Kyren's belief, I'd probably have 10 tournaments to my name," he said.
Wilson agreed with Gilbert's assessment, stating that his mental strength and belief are among his biggest assets. "I think I remember Ronnie saying you've got to juggle around in the tool box and see which one you can bring out today," Wilson said. "I'd definitely say that my mental strength and belief are part of my biggest assets."
However, Wilson also recognizes that players can easily become pigeonholed and their strengths can lead to other aspects of their game being seen as weaknesses, often falsely. When asked if he feels his talent is underrated as a result of his mental strength being widely praised, Wilson became passionate in his response. "Absolutely," he exclaimed. "That's been one thing that has really frustrated me. I picked up a cue when I was six years old and have been playing snooker ever since. I feel like I was put on this earth to play snooker."
Wilson also acknowledges that his talent goes beyond just playing the game. He's had to adapt and change his game, which he believes takes a lot of talent as well. "I do feel like I'm very talented," he said. "Not only that, but I have had to go back to the drawing board and change my game. I think that takes a lot of talent as well."
The unexpected semi-final line-up will kick off with Wilson and Gilbert at 1pm on Thursday, followed by Jones and Bingham at 7pm. With three qualifiers in the final four and Wilson being the only seed left, it's safe to say that this year's World Snooker Championship has been full of surprises. But as Wilson and the other players have shown, talent and determination can often overcome any odds.
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