The 2024 UK Championship – Day 3

The third day at 2024 UK Championship again showed how good the players ranked outside the top 16 are nowadays. After three days, twelve matches, six of the seeded top 16 are out. Half of them then…

Here are the reports by WST:

Afternoon session

CRUCIBLE KING WILSON WHITEWASHES MAGUIRE

World Champion Kyren Wilson eased to a 6-0 win over Stephen Maguire to book his place in the last 16 of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship in York.

The Warrior is hunting a second Triple Crown title, after achieving a lifetime’s ambition back in May with victory at the Crucible. Wilson overcame Jak Jones 18-14 in a fiercely contested title match at the Theatre of Dreams, to win a maiden World Championship title. He’s backed that up this season with victories at the inaugural Xi’an Grand Prix and the Northern Ireland Open, beating world number one Judd Trump in each final.

Wilson has enjoyed strong showings here in York, without quite managing to lift the famous trophy. His best run came back in 2021, when he defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan en route to the semi-finals. The Englishman then lost an epic contest against Luca Brecel. Next up for Wilson this week is a second round meeting with Chris Wakelin.

Having negotiated the qualifying gauntlet, beating Elliot Slessor in a 6-5 thriller on Judgement Day, Scotland’s Maguire bows out at the first hurdle in York. Today’s disappointing defeat comes in the 20th anniversary year of the finest moment of his career, when he won the 2004 UK Championship.

Both players struggled in what proved to be a fragmented afternoon of snooker. However, it was Wilson who fared the better in converting chances to frames. After controlling the opener, the Englishman battled hard to take the second in 37-minutes and lead 2-0. A run of 45 moved Wilson three ahead, before he added the fourth to lead 4-0 at the mid-session.

When play resumed, Wilson moved up a gear and fired in runs of 71 and 86 to seal his comprehensive victory.

“It was surprsing. I went into the match expecting a tough battle. He is a real battler and for whatever reason it wasn’t happening,” said 32-year-old Wilson. “He is such a good player, it really shocked me and I’m sure he will be back as he’s too good not to.

“Myself and Judd want to do what guys like Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Williams and John Higgins have done over their long and illustrious careers. Hopefully we can try to compete with them and be the next names that everybody wants to tune in and watch.

“I’ve dreamed of being a World Champion since I was six years old and I’ve made a very conscious effort to not only enjoy it but use it as a catapult to kickstart my career even more. It has given me that extra bit of confidence.”

On the other table, world number 15 Wakelin earned his place in the next round with a hard fought 6-4 win over former Indian Open champion Matthew Selt.

Wakelin has enjoyed a landmark season so far, having broken into the elite top 16 in the world for the first time. He’s gunning to earn a Johnstone’s Paint Masters debut if he can remain there at the end of this week.

The Rugby cueman top scored with 75 in a match he was relieved to emerge victorious from a testing match.

Wakelin said: “It was a tough one. I was never in front and stole the ninth frame to go 5-4 in front. I feel for Matt, I don’t think he had much left towards the end. I knew if I could just hold myself together I could get over the line. He is very strong in the matchplay department so I really just wanted to shake his hand and get out of there.

“When the game is over, I’m proud of what I’ve achieved getting in the top 16. I don’t think that defines me on the table though. It is all about what you do. The defending champion lost this week and a lot of the other top 16 players have. You can sit on that ranking all you like, but you still have to go out there and do the business.“

Stephen Maguire was his typical brutally honest self after the match, delivering a scathing verdict on his performance: rubbish. He was that indeed, but Kyren Wilson still had to stay focussed and win that match, which he hid. Kyren has, so far, been an exemplary World Champion. He’s representing his sport impeccably. He’s giving it his best in every match. He’s speaking well too. He’s humble in victory and honest in defeat.

Chris Wakelin is a player I’m appreciating more with every match he plays. Not so much his game itself, but his attitude. He’s come a long way from the dispirited player he was some years ago and one who looked unhealthy, physically and mentally.

Evening session

RESURGENT HITMAN ELIMINATES WILSON

Michael Holt reached the last 16 of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship for the first time in 25 years, scoring an emphatic 6-1 win over Welsh Open champion Gary Wilson in York.

The Hitman’s professional career came under threat in 2022, when he fell off the circuit. During two years away from the World Snooker Tour he set about a career coaching amateur players. However, Holt’s performances on last season’s Q Tour ensured the 46-year-old regained his professional status.

This week’s run is a landmark for the Nottingham cueman, who last made it to this stage of the UK Championship back in 1999 as a 22-year-old. After beating the likes of Tony Drago and Alan McManus, he was eventually defeated 9-6 by John Higgins in the quarter-finals. Victory this evening for Holt earns him a last 16 meeting with this year’s Crucible runner-up Jak Jones.

Defeat for Wallsend’s Wilson marks a continuation of his struggles in the UK Championship. He’s only made the last 16 on one occasion in his entire career, back in 2019.

The opener this evening went the way of Holt, who compiled a break of 38 to steal on the black. A run of 72 from Wilson restored parity at 1-1, before Holt won the third and fourth frames, again on the black, to snatch a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval.

A run of 69 then moved Holt further ahead at 4-1. The sixth frame ventured into a stalemate situation when the reds gathered around the pink, which was over the top left corner. Holt was reluctant to accept a re-rack, leading 44-9, but eventually agreed to restart the frame. He steadied himself and fired in 95 to move 5-1 ahead and one from victory. A 50-minute seventh came down to the wire, but it was Holt who claimed it on the pink to ensure his progression.

Holt said: “It is brilliant, obviously. I rode my luck towards the end of that match but I’ll take it and I’m in the next round. I always knew I could win, I never doubted that, but you are playing the best players in the world. You never know how games are going to pan out. You have to keep yourself in a good state of mind. 6-1 did flatter me, but I’m in the next round and I’m buzzing about it.

“My game is there, it really is. It has always been there. I just have to try and let it out. If I do that then I always have a chance. There were a few good bits in there. I have to be stronger than that in my next match, because I can’t be that lucky again.

“To be in this arena is fantastic. I absolutely love it out there. It is an amazing tournament. I felt great and comfortable out there. Sometimes when you miss a few it can get a bit tough.“

On the other table, Jones came through a nerve shredding encounter with Luca Brecel to seal his progression 6-5.

World number 17 Jones was the highest seed to come through the qualifying rounds. He defeated Ian Burns and Fan Zhengyi to seal his place in the final stages and is now seeking a return to the top 16 in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings and qualification for the Masters. The cut off comes at the end of this week.

Defeat leaves Brecel in a perilous position. With his prize money for winning the 2023 World Championship coming off at the end of the season, he is currently projected to be in danger of losing his spot in the top 64 in the world.

Despite Brecel leading 5-3, the match came down to a dramatic final frame, where the Belgian had the first opportunity. He broke down on 42 and a clutch contribution of 66 from Jones helped him over the line for a massive victory.

Jones said: “You always want to do well in the big tournaments and this is the second biggest in the tour. The arena is amazing. I felt good towards the end there.

“Michael Holt is playing really well. To beat Gary Wilson 6-1 you must be doing something right. That is going to be a really tough game.“

That bit about Michael Holt making it to the last 16 for the first time in 22 years … that was a shock to the system for me! Where have all those years gone? How has this happened?¹ Michael Holt is someone who has underachieved IMO. Often in the past, his temperament has let him down. He was getting angry at himself and seemingly losing his focus as a result. Or maybe it was his self-belief that deserted him? Anyway he looks much more “grounded” nowadays and it’s for the best.

The Jones v Brecel match wasn’t the highest quality but Jak won’t care. As for Luca, he’s paying the price for a full year and a bit of celebrating and enjoying himself. If he thought he could come back from that just as strong as he was, he’s now finding out that he can’t … Nobody can, no matter how talented they are. He’s probably been the most absent World Champion snooker ever had, certainly the most absent I can remember. Luca is outrageously talented, his game is highly entertaining and spectacular, but … TBH more often than not, I don’t enjoy watching him . I find him, as a player, quite infuriating.