Kyren Wilson missed out on another Crucible maximum but completed a comprehensive win over Dominic Dale at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.
Wilson potted 11 reds and blacks in the final frame but ran short on a mid-range red as he aimed to repeat the 147 he had fashioned against Ryan Day at the same stage last year.
Nevertheless, the 32-year-old won the two frames required on Wednesday morning to wrap up a 10-1 win, the most comprehensive victory at the Crucible since Mark Selby’s win over Kurt Maflin by the same score in 2021.
It marked a welcome return to form for Wilson, who has failed to reach a tour final this season and candidly admitted to off-field struggles involving illnesses to his wife and son.
But the 2020 runner-up, who has reached the quarter-finals or better on six of his previous nine visits to the Crucible, believes he is one of a few players who has proved they are capable of enduring the marathon 17-day event.
“A big part of my game is heavy scoring and there are definitely players that are suited to this event and I would like to believe I’m one of those,” said Wilson.
“If I play like that it will take some performance in any round for any player to stop me.”
Dale, at 52 the oldest qualifier since Steve Davis in 2010, was no match for the 12th seed, although he did compile an impressive 120 clearance in the fourth frame of the match.
Wilson, who moves on to a second-round meeting with Mark Selby’s conqueror Joe O’Connor, compiled half-centuries or better in all but one of his winning frames, including a break of 123 in the fifth frame.
Jack Lisowski held his nerve to sink seventh seed Ding Junhui in a decider and set up a last-16 meeting with former champion Stuart Bingham.
YES HE CAN!! 🥶
Cool hand Lisowski holds his nerve in the decider to beat Ding 10-9 and earn a place in the Last 16 against Bingham.#CazooWorldChampionship | @RiyadhSeason
— WST (@WeAreWST) April 24, 2024
Lisowski, who led 8-6 and 9-7, looked likely to rue a simple missed blue in the 17th frame which gave Ding the chance to pull his way back and then rattle in a 131 clearance to force the single frame shoot-out.
But the 32-year-old Lisowski, who came through qualifying after dropping out of the world’s top 16, made what proved to be a match-winning break of 38 on the back of a brilliant opening red.
Ding’s defeat made him the seventh seed to fall in the first round of this year’s World Championship, with four of the 16 matches still to finish.