Kyren Wilson reaches first ranking semi-final in 19 months at Northern Ireland Open
Kyren Wilson secured a place in a ranking tournament semi-final for the first time in 19 months by defeating Anthony McGill 6-1 at the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast, flashscore.de reported. The victory sets up a Saturday afternoon clash against Sam Craigie as Wilson pursues his eleventh career ranking title and defends his ranking points.
Wilson overcomes McGill with dominant break-building performance
In a rematch of their 2020 Crucible semi-final, Wilson controlled the table against McGill with breaks of 77, 75, and 122. The 34-year-old Englishman has accumulated three centuries and eight additional breaks over 50 during his four matches in Belfast. Flashscore.de noted that Wilson currently sits ninth in the world rankings but occupies 23rd place in the provisional standings for the upcoming World Championship in April, making ranking points vital to secure his top-16 status.
Ich habe mich aber bewusst entschieden, ins Risiko zu gehen, um den Frame direkt in einer Aufnahme zu entscheiden.
Sam Craigie defeats Elliot Slessor to reach second career semi-final
Sam Craigie advanced to the semi-finals with a 6-2 victory over Elliot Slessor, marking only the second time he has reached this stage of a ranking event. Slessor opened the match with an 80-break, but Craigie responded by taking five consecutive frames with runs of 50 and 66 before closing out the win on the colors. The 32-year-old nearly ended his career in 2024 due to a severe cervical disc herniation before making a full recovery.
Wegen der Schmerzen wusste ich nicht, ob sich mein Nacken jemals wieder normal anfühlen würde.
According to snookerhq.com, Craigie holds an inferior 8-3 head-to-head record against Wilson overall ahead of their Saturday encounter.
Mark Williams and Jak Jones set up all-Welsh semi-final clash
In the second half of the draw, Mark Williams overcame a tight quarter-final against David Gilbert with a 6-4 victory, reeling off the final four frames with breaks of 104, 115, 101, and 68. Williams won the Northern Ireland Open title in 2017. His opponent, Jak Jones, defeated Scott Donaldson 6-4 in a scrappy encounter secured by an 84 break in the deciding frame. Jones has already captured two ranking titles this season at Championship League Snooker and the British Open, while Williams holds a 5-2 head-to-head advantage over Jones across all competitions.
Details about Northern Ireland Open matches
When and where is the Northern Ireland Open semi-final between Kyren Wilson and Sam Craigie taking place?
The match takes place on Saturday, October 24, at 13:00 BST at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, snookerhq.com reported.
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