Wilson Title Defence On Track
Defending BetVictor European Masters champion Kyren Wilson booked a third round berth with a 5-2 win over Alfie Burden on day two in Nuremberg.
Wilson claimed victory just a few miles down the road in Furth 12 months ago, when he thrashed Barry Hawkins 9-3 in the final. Germany is a happy hunting ground for the Warrior, who has won three of his five ranking titles to date in the country.
There were breaks of 65, 68 and 107 for Wilson on his way to this afternoon’s victory. Next up the Kettering cueman faces an intriguing test against China’s Si Jiahui, who made the semi-finals of the World Championship back in May.
“The people in Germany are so warm and welcoming. They absolutely love their snooker so wherever you go, you are appreciated and feel a good buzz about the place. That is going to bring out the best in you,” said 31-year-old Wilson.
“It would be fantastic to defend a title for the first time. It is a new challenge and one I’ve not managed to complete yet. There are lots of things I’d love to tick off in my career and that is obviously one of them. There is a long way to go, but you just have to battle through the conditions and give it your all.”
World Champion Luca Brecel battled hard to beat Indian rookie Ishpreet Singh Chadha 5-3 in an entertaining encounter.
It was Singh who showed his ability in the opener with a break of 51 on his way to moving 1-0 up. From there the Belgian Bullet surged ahead, contributions of 72, 85 and 101 helped him to four on the bounce and a 4-1 lead. Singh clawed his way back into contention with runs of 102 and 72 to reduce his arrears to 4-3, but a break of 74 by Brecel saw him over the line.
Brecel is now through to the third round and requires three more wins to make it to the semi-finals, which would see him become world number one for the first time. He faces Robbie Williams in the next round.
Recent BetVictor Championship League winner Shaun Murphy continued his strong form with a 5-2 win over Daniel Wells. The Magician crafted breaks of 104, 54, 85 and 65 during the win.
Next up Murphy faces Ross Muir, with the winner progressing to meet four-time World Champion John Higgins in the last 16. Higgins scored a 5-2 win over Zhou Yuelong this evening.
Judd Trump and Mark Williams sealed their progressions in contrasting fashion. Trump eased to a 5-0 win over Jordan Brown, while Williams edged through 5-3 against Welsh compatriot Matthew Stevens.