World Snooker Championship: Kyren Wilson beats David Gilbert to make final

Kyren Wilson comfortably secured his spot in the final of the World Snooker Championship by defeating the qualifier David Gilbert 17-11 at the Crucible.

On Saturday, the 12th seeded player won three out of the four frames they needed to secure their victory, which entitles them to another opportunity at the championship after their previous loss to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the 2020 final.

During their second session on Friday evening, Wilson won five frames in a row which gave him a significant lead in the match. The score was evenly tied at 9-9 before Wilson's winning streak. He managed to maintain his advantage and eventually won the match without any trouble.

In the beginning of the day, Gilbert managed to lower the score gap to 14-11 by successfully putting away a score of 70. However, he didn't fare as well in the following frame during an extended security exchange, ultimately sealing his loss.

Wilson showed his excitement by punching the air and giving a kiss to his family in the spectator's area after successfully potting the important blue. He is expected to have a high chance of winning in his second final match against either Stuart Bingham or Jak Jones, who will finish their semi-final game on Saturday night.

Later on, the athlete who is 32 years old disclosed that he has been availing himself to hypnotherapy sessions throughout his journey to the finals. This achievement comes at the conclusion of a quiet season where he only managed to reach the semi-finals in one tour, the German Masters.

Wilson stated that reducing stress is the main goal. Everybody goes through troublesome situations that can impact their routine, and engaging in this activity enabled Wilson to feel less restricted.

"When Gilbert fell behind during the third session, I realized I needed to secure my victory. Since Dave had the ability to distract me from the game, I needed to outsmart him and win the mental challenge."

Gilbert, who had made it to the semi-finals in 2019, put forth a great effort despite his personal struggles leading up to the competition. He had low expectations but surprised everyone by winning four consecutive frames, which led to his defeat of the defending champion Luca Brecel in the initial round.

Gilbert admitted that losing the game this time around was less stressful than his previous loss to John Higgins in the final frame. However, he still felt a bit upset by how the game ended, and he attributed his loss to bad luck. He even wondered if Wilson may have intentionally made things difficult for him.

Gilbert mentioned that Kyren played at a much faster pace, almost as if he didn't consider Gilbert as a worthy opponent. It's unclear if there was any tension between the two. Gilbert tried to congratulate Kyren, but their handshake was not very enthusiastic.

Wilson completely rejected Gilbert's proposal, saying that he doesn't have any issues with his rival. He's excited about the upcoming final, which he believes will be distinct from his crushing loss to Ronnie O'Sullivan last year. That match was held in front of an audience that was only a third full, as restrictions were in place because of the pandemic.

During the third session of their semi-final, Jones took the lead with a score of 13-10 against Bingham. The session ended a frame earlier than planned due to the slow pace of play.

Similar to Wilson, Jones won five consecutive frames to transform a 9-8 disadvantage into a dominant position in a slow-moving and mistake-prone match, where the typical frame duration surpassed 24 minutes.

The most exciting moment of the session was when Bingham scored an impressive century, which gave him a chance to stop Jones from becoming the first person who qualified to reach the Crucible final since 2016's Ding Junhui.