Wilson is full of emotion after a bizarre decider yields final spot
Huge chance: Kyren Wilson is into his first World final
KYREN Wilson collapsed over the line after one of the craziest deciding frames in Crucible history to secure his place in his first World Championship final.
Wilson beat Anthony Mcgill 103-83 in a 61-minute epic which effectively concluded when the Kettering 28-year-old fluked the green off three cushions to triumph 17-16.
Wilson struggled to contain his emotions after what he described as a “mental” match, and added: “I can’t believe it ended like that — I didn’t want to send someone home on a fluke.”
Shell-shocked Mcgill, who forced his way back into the match after trailing 13-11, had missed the first chance to win it when a bad split on the reds saw him run aground on 39.
Mcgill, who had already battled through two final-frame deciders, paid tribute to Wilson but added: “I feel like I’ve had something stolen from me — not by Kyren, but by the snooker gods.”
After Mcgill missed his own opportunity in the decider, Wilson also came up short when he missed a straight red to the middle to end a break of 47.
But with the black teetering over the top pocket, Wilson proceeded to snooker Mcgill on a nearby red and the Scot missed it eight times in a row — costing him 35 points, and resulting in him requiring snookers.
Yet remarkably, Wilson duly stepped up to play the next shot and proceeded to screw the white back into the middle pocket, restoring Mcgill’s ability to win frame and match outright.
The elusive red then became perched tight on the top lip of the middle pocket, with both players trying and failing to pot.
Mcgill managed it at his second attempt but, with the colours seemingly at his mercy, he snookered himself on the green.
After an extended safety battle, Wilson fluked the green and struggled to contain himself, before regrouping to resist Mcgill’s final attempt.
Wilson will face Ronnie O’sullivan in the final after the Rocket triumphed 17-16 over Mark Selby in another thrilling final-frame decider in the other semi.