Kyren Wilson has beaten Ali Carter by 11-9 to become the 2025 Shanghai Masters Champion
Congratulations Kyren Wilson!
The Final was a very high quality match featuring seventeen breaks over 50 including four centuries, one by Ali, a 140, the highest break of the match and three by Kyren, 105, 122 and 129.
Kyren Wilson triumphed 11-9 in a pulsating title match with Ali Carter to lift the Shanghai Masters trophy for a second time, ten years on from his first.
World number two Wilson admitted that he was desperate to avoid a decider after flagging following a gruelling weekend of snooker, having already beaten World Champion Zhao Xintong 10-5 yesterday.
The penultimate frame swung one way then another. Trailing on the last red, the Warrior fired in a stunning long ball to set up a clearance of 32, which saw him steal the frame on the final ball. After potting the black, he fist pumped and roared with delight in front of a packed Shanghai crowd.
The city holds special memories for 33-year-old Wilson, who captured his maiden ranking title here back in 2015, beating Judd Trump 10-9 in another epic tussle. Fast forward ten years and the event has evolved into one of the most prestigious invitational prizes in the sport, with Wilson pocketing £210,000 for victory.
Wilson looks set for another massive season after enjoying his best ever title haul in 24/25. Having won the World Championship in 2024, he went on to win four ranking crowns to take his current tally to ten. However, the campaign ended in devastation after a 10-9 loss to Lei Peifan at the first hurdle of his Crucible title defence.
After a summer of pondering that defeat, he has bounced straight back in spectacular fashion here in Shanghai. A narrow 6-5 win over Si Jiahui in his first match was followed up by a 6-3 win over seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, before this weekend’s wins over Zhao and Carter.
The final proved to be a bridge too far in a week of comebacks for 46-year-old Carter. He rallied from 5-2 down to beat Mark Williams and Xiao Guodong, before defeating Mark Selby 10-8 from 8-6 down. He couldn’t quite overhaul Wilson in the title match.
Carter can still reflect fondly on a tournament he wasn’t even originally in. Ranked 17th in the world he had just missed out on qualification, before a late withdrawal from Mark Allen handed him a spot.
Wilson enjoyed the better start this evening, with runs of 48 and 105 helping him to a 7-5 cushion. In keeping with the rest of the match, the resilient Carter replied with contributions of 76 and 35 helping him to make it 7-7 heading into the last interval of the tournament.
When play got back underway, breaks of 66 and 122 helped Wilson to a 9-7 advantage, but a stunning 140 from Carter pulled him back within one. Wilson had an opportunity in the next, after his opponent had made 27. However, he unexpectedly spurned a middle range red and Carter crafted 63 to make it 9-9.
A contribution of 86 gave Wilson the 19th to move one from victory at 10-9, before he claimed victory on the black in that dramatic 20th frame.
“I knew I had to take out that clearance at the end. Fatigue was starting to slip in. I didn’t want to face Ali in a final frame because his success rate in deciders this week has been fantastic. He is a great champion and made it really difficult all day long. I had to summon up every ounce of concentration and composure to drop that long red in and clear up. I held myself together and then you saw all of the emotions
Kyren Wilson
World Number Two
Wilson added: “This is the biggest Chinese event we have and with the snooker market growing and growing it is important to try and land these titles. I was just starting to fatigue towards the end and to pot the red and clear up was a massive feather in my cap.
“It was a huge kick in the teeth going out in the first round of the World Championship. I don’t have that world title tag anymore. But I’ve carried on in the same form. It is important to kick off the season in good fashion. This sets me up nicely for what is to come. I’ve had to wait a long time to get going again in professional competition, but this was definitely worth the wait.”
Carter said: “It was a really tough game. I felt I hung in there all day. I didn’t feel I played particularly great, but I was pleased to compete with a World Champion like Kyren. I felt if I’d had a bit of a tailwind at some point I’d have probably won. It wasn’t to be in the end.
“For a substitute, I think I did alright! I got through to the final. I was 5-2 down to Mark Williams and I didn’t miss a ball for four frames. I was 5-2 down to Xiao and 8-6 down to Selby. It is pleasing to get to another final. As a sportsman it is all about winning though. All being told I didn’t even know I was going to be here. If someone had said when Mark Allen withdrew I was going to get to the final, I’d have absolutely taken it.”
World number two Kyren Wilson produced a session clean sweep to overhaul World Champion Zhao Xintong and prevail 10-5 to reach the Shanghai Masters final.
The 33-year-old proceeds to his second final in this prestigious event, which is a significant tournament in the history of his career. He last lifted silverware in Shanghai back in 2015, when he beat Judd Trump 10-9 to claim his first ever ranking title.
Fast forward ten years and the Shanghai Masters is now one of the sport’s most prestigious invitational prizes. Tomorrow, 2024 World Champion Wilson will have the chance to win the tournament in its present format for the first time. He faces Ali Carter over 21 frames for the £210,000 top prize. The Warrior hasn’t lost to Carter since the 2015 Australian Open.
Wilson has enjoyed a tremendous run to the title match, having scored a hard fought 6-5 win over Si Jiahui to start, before beating Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-3 in the quarters.
Zhao was afforded a hero’s reception this week, returning for his maiden tournament in his homeland since becoming China’s first World Champion in May. He put on fine performances to dispatch Chris Wakelin and legendary compatriot Ding Junhui. The Cyclone hadn’t been beaten since defeat to Shaun Murphy at the UK Championship last November. However, today proved a step too far.
The result is a continuation of the “Ding Curse”. The last 21 times Ding has been beaten on the World Snooker Tour, his opponent has then lost in the following round. The last player to overcome this was Robbie Williams at the 2024 Welsh Open.
Wilson and Zhao came into this evening’s session after a fiercely contested afternoon, which saw 28-year-old Zhao emerge with a slender 5-4 lead.
When play resumed, breaks of 70 and 101 saw Wilson quickly wrest the lead. There was then a 36-minute 11th, which saw Wilson make it 7-5 and he took the last before the mid-session to move just two from victory.
Wilson carried his momentum through the interval and went on to seal victory by taking the following two frames.
“The crowd were massively on Zhao Xintong’s side. That is to be expected, he is an absolute hero in China. I knew it was going to be tough but settled quite early and found my feet,” said ten-time ranking event winner Wilson.
“It is tough. We’ve experienced it playing Ding Junhui many times and now Zhao is the new local favourite if you like. Snooker in China is booming and you can feel an extra air of expectation every time Zhao turns up for a game. I knew I had to play well and shut that out.
“Ali has battled through some really tough matches. That is what he does best. He is a determined and gritty character. I’m going to have to really dig in tomorrow and play some of the best snooker I have in the last 18 months.
“This event seems to get bigger each year. It is really important for me in my career to try and make the most of snooker booming. The Shanghai Masters is the showpiece event in China now. Ten years on it would be lovely to win this event again.”
It’s fair to say that Zhao Xintong had a nightmare second session today, for whatever reason(s). Was it pressure? Was it the sudden realisation of how much the Chinese fans were expecting from him? Was it just tiredness? We will probably never know for sure. But it was strange and painful to watch.
Ali Carter prevailed 10-8 in a fiercely contested semi-final with Mark Selby to make the Shanghai Masters final for the second time in his career.
The Captain now progresses to face either World Champion Zhao Xintong or world number two Kyren Wilson in Sunday’s final, where a top prize of £210,000 will be up for grabs.
Six-time ranking event winner Carter has enjoyed some of the most consistent form of his career over the last two years. During that timespan, the 46-year-old made finals at the 2023 Players Championship, 2023 Wuhan Open and the 2024 Masters, as well as winning the 2023 German Masters and the 2024 Championship League.
Carter claimed the second of his six ranking crowns here in Shanghai back in 2010, when he defeated Selby in the last four before beating Jamie Burnett 10-7 in the final.
He’s had to summon all of his battling abilities this week, having come from 5-2 down to beat both Mark Williams and Xiao Guodong 6-5 in previous rounds and having trailed Selby 8-6 this evening.
Selby can take solace from what has been a very promising start to his season. The four-time World Champion soared to a 6-0 win over Shaun Murphy in his first match and beat world number one Judd Trump 6-4. He now turns his attention to the upcoming Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
They came into the evening with Carter holding a 5-4 lead, but it was Selby who hit the ground running with breaks of 108 and 81 to wrest a 6-5 advantage of his own.
Carter replied with 129 in the 12th, but a run of 96 saw Selby head into the mid-session leading 7-6.
A break of 62 then moved Selby 8-6 ahead and he looked to be moving to the verge of victory before spurning a crucial blue in the 15th. Carter pounced with 66 to steal and move within one at 8-7.
The Essex cueman could smell blood and breaks of 83, 62 and 79 in consecutive frames saw him make it four on the bounce and seal a huge 10-8 victory.
Carter said: “I was just out there competing. At 8-6 down he missed a blue and it gave me a glimmer of hope. It was very pleasing to get over the line with a one visit. I’ve been 5-2 down twice and 8-6 here. I’ve been looking to go home and move my flight forward. It is as simple as that. You can have all of the positive things said to you, think this and think that, but the secret is to not think anything. I shouldn’t be here now really. If Mark Allen hadn’t withdrawn, I hope he is alright, then I wouldn’t be.
“I love Shanghai, I love the city and I love the tournament. I won it back in 2010 and it would be great to try and win it on Sunday. Whether it is Kyren Wilson, who is growing in confidence, or the current World Champion and everyone’s favourite in China Zhao Xintong. I’m a wily old fox and I’ll just see if I can turn up and upset the apple cart.“
Life came in the way of snooker in the form of two visitors, my daughter and my grandson. I didn’t see a ball, so can’t comment, and it may well be the same today.
It’s not the result I hoped for but you you can’t blame someone for doing what they have to do , so … well played Ali.
I’m pretty neutral about today’s match. I love both players. Whoever wins today, I hope they will lift the trophy tomorrow.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 