‘Exhibition stuff’ – Wilson wows crowd at Northern Ireland Open with string of brilliant pots
Alan McManus described Wilson’s play before the interval as “so far so good, but not great” and that felt a fair assessment, as the world No. 2 was feeding off his opponent’s errors rather than stamping his authority on the contest.
The pattern continued after the interval, with both players guilty of misses in the fifth. The telling error came from Wilson on the final pink, as he pushed the boat out by attempting a double to the left middle, only to catch the top jaw and leave it on for Pang who held his nerve to cut the gap to one.
The sixth was also scrappy in nature, with both players missing balls they would expect to make. It tipped in Wilson’s favour when Pang failed to make contact with a thin safety on the final red on three occasions, leaving him needing all the balls to tie the frame.
Pang was unable to do so and Wilson got over the line when sinking an excellent double to the yellow pocket to restore his two-frame cushion.
Wilson’s patchy play gave hope to Pang, but he was unable to capitalise on the openings he was given. A missed black off its spot in the seventh summed up Pang’s afternoon, and Wilson punished the error by clearing to the pink with a break of 72 to get within one frame of the final.
Pang kept his hopes alive by taking the eighth, as he pounced on a Wilson miss and crafted a break of 67.
Wilson had chances to close out the contest in the ninth, but looked extremely edgy and Pang took a scrappy frame to get back within one of his rival.
After working his way back into the match, it felt appropriate given what had gone before, that a miss from Pang contributed to his downfall.
Wilson did not look rock solid as he approached the table in the 10th, but he produced a steely contribution of 83 – which he met with a pump of the firt and tap of the table – to book his place in the final.
Wilson celebrates win over Pang in Northern Ireland Open with clench of fist and tap of table
“I wouldn’t say I made glaring errors for him to come back, but it was the odd little shot where you know it would be a match-winner, and they went a little awry,” Wilson told Eurosport. “I just knew I had to keep calm, and I knew another chance was going to come along.”
Wilson suggested Pang’s style of play upset his equilibrium.
“Pang, I think, is not really a rhythm player,” Wilson said. “He is quite methodical, he puts in an awful lot of feathers on every shot, and you almost get zoned out on his technique.”
Commenting on the break that closed out the match, Wilson felt he was rewarded for his attacking mindset.
”I could have easily played on a loose red, but I thought I’ve got to try and win this frame in this visit,” Wilson said. “Just delighted to take it out in one visit, it gives you confidence for tomorrow.”
Watch and stream the Northern Ireland Open live on Eurosport and discovery+
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Publish date : 2024-10-26 09:47:00
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