Masters: Kyren Wilson edges past Zhang Anda in hard-fought contest
2025-01-16
Category: sports

World champion Kyren Wilson edged past Zhang Anda 6-4 to move into the quarter-finals of the Masters at Alexandra Palace.Wilson remarkably finished the contest having potted significantly fewer balls, and scoring 275 points less than Zhang, but was crucially clinical when it mattered -  taking the first, fourth and seventh frames when his opponent was well-placed to win them.The Englishman, who has already won two events this term, led 3-1 at the interval but Zhang compiled breaks of 65, 83 and a sublime 141 to leave the match delicately poised at 4-4.However, Wilson then took a nervy frame and sealed his victory in a tense 10th frame."I feel like I managed to pinch the key frames," Wilson told BBC Sport."Every credit to Zhang, I thought he played fantastic. I have never seen such a consistent display of long potting. "I was petrified every time a ball stuck out because he was just potting them. It was incredible. I just had to hang on in there and nick the odd frame. I am pleased to just get over the line."Wilson will now face Luca Brecel or Chris Wakelin, who play the final first-round match on Wednesday (19:00 GMT).
Zhang pays price for unforced errors
China's Zhang, 33, was making only his second appearance at the Masters and has exited in the first round on both occasions.However, the world number 10 will head away from the tournament wondering just how he contrived to lose against Wilson.Aside from the match score, almost every key statistic around safety play, table time and potting was in his favour.  However, Zhang also managed seven unforced errors to Wilson's three, and they ultimately proved extremely costly.Given some of the opportunities that came his way, he could and perhaps should have been the player heading into the interval with a healthy lead. And while he did fight back, the moments of misfortune and carelessness kept coming.In the seventh frame he went in off a red, having potted a red into the same right middle pocket, and in the ninth he missed a black, when it appeared he could steal the frame from Wilson to go ahead for the first time in the match."Kyren is a very strong opponent. I needed a very strong performance and I was a little bit unlucky," Zhang added.