Tour Championship snooker 2023 as it happened - Red-hot Kyren Wilson defeats Ding Junhui to book a spot in the final

ByPaul Hassall

Updated 31/03/2023 at 20:37 GMT

Eurosport's coverage of the Tour Championship as it happened with the first of the semi-finals seeing Kyren Wilson oust Ding Junhui. The best-of-19 frame match was played over two sessions. The afternoon session began at 13:00, with the evening session commencing at 19:00. Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby will contest their first-to-10 encounter on Saturday with the winner meeting Wilson in the final.

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JOIN US AGAIN ON SATURDAY

That’s it for Friday’s coverage from the Tour Championship.

Be sure to log on again tomorrow from 12.30 BST for the second semi final between Murphy and Selby.

Tour Championship

Murphy warns he can be a 'handful for anyone' at World Championship

03/04/2023 at 07:49

See you then!

KYREN WILSON - 2023 TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP FINALIST

"It’s a dream come true," he says during a post-match chat to ITV. "I try to put the hours in but obviously it’s well-documented it’s not been the case for this particular event with the things going on.

"It’s freed the shackles really. Everything was just going for me and wish I could play the final now!”

RESULT! - WILSON 10-5 DING

It’s all over! Kyren Wilson books his spot in the 2023 Tour Championship final as he concludes what was quite simply a scintillating performance to convincingly defeat Ding Junhui.

He clocks up SIX centuries - coming up just short of a seventh when he misses the pink with the rest to end on a break of 87 in what proves to be the final frame.

Wilson will now face Shaun Murphy or Mark Selby in Sunday’s final for a chance to lift the trophy and claim the £150,000 prize. Not bad for a player who failed to win a match in his previous two appearances at this elite eight-man tournament.

WILSON 9-5 DING (79-0)

So close! Ding looks to tease a red to the bottom left pocket and it somehow avoids the drop. He probably believes he’s safe as the black blocks Wilson’s path to a simple pot, but the No.5 seed thinks outside the box and cannons into a red tight to the left cushion to send the cue ball into the one over the pocket.

It's a superb shot and he follows it up with a tough cut on a black to the same pocket that he also accounts for.

There’s the possibility he could seal victory here and his chances increase when he cuts a tricky red to the bottom left with the rest.

The prospect of a seventh century is on but Wilson’s mind will be far from that thought at first as he just looks to get over the line. He preys upon the pink with the black tight to the right cushion and motors beyond the half century.

It’s looking very good for him now and it becomes all about the prospect of a seventh century as he moves beyond frame ball….

WILSON 9-5 DING

That’s sheer class. Ding corks a beauty of a long red to the bottom right corner, making use of plenty of right-hand side to bounce the cue ball off the left cushion and land nicely on the pink to the bottom corner of the same flank.

You have to give him real credit for not letting his head drop. He’s quietly watched some masterful break-building from his opponent for the vast majority of this contest, but even now he’s refused to give up on what is surely an impossible task.

That said, he’s now one frame closer and he almost has the crowd on their feet when he attempts an audacious double that tussles with the jaws of the bottom right-hand pocket. It doesn’t go down but a break of 66 is enough to give that scoreboard a bit more respectability.

WILSON 9-4 DING (0-35)

It’s a late, late show but Ding is finally enjoying a bit of the spotlight in this semi final.

A red-hot Wilson had been hogging it for so long, but the man nicknamed Enter the Dragon gives credence to the view he actually hasn’t played that badly by showcasing some smart snooker whilst on the brink of defeat.

He cuts a tidy red to middle left and makes full use of the table to sink the black and then work his way back to polish off some loose reds way up in baulk.

There’s still some serious work to do to win the frame at this visit but he takes it shot by shot, clipping a red up to the middle right pocket and ticking over the scoreboard until he decides anything else would be too risky. There are a couple of risky reds he could have gone for, but he wants to try and play on any nerves from Wilson and opts for a pragmatic safety up to baulk.

WILSON 9-4 DING

A safety stand-off ensues and it’s Wilson who blinks first.

Ding rolls a red to the bottom right pocket and then tickles the pink to the opposite corner.

The red-pink combo serves him well with the black just shy of the middle left pocket and he begins to eat into his opponent’s lead.

A blue to middle right gives him the choice of three reds to the bottom left and he finally takes care of the absent black to get it back on its spot so life becomes far easier polishing off the free reds.

He needs to find some sort of position on the red gripped against the bottom rail and sends the cue ball around the world to give himself half a chance. It’s still a tough pot to send it into the bottom right pocket, but he does just that to ensure he finishes the job at this visit.

A break of 84 prolongs this contest a little longer, but you’d still be hard pushed to find a taker for a bet on him making a sensational comeback here.

WILSON 9-3 DING (33-7)

Again, it’s a brief respite for Ding. This time Wilson digs into an attempt on a red up to middle right and it rolls home with the minimum of fuss.

There’s no danger of impeding himself on this occasion and Kyren sets about trying to finish the job right here and now.

A pink up to the green pocket allows him to mop up a couple of reds that had ventured into nose-bleed territory up by the D. The Kettering star then swiftly manoeuvres back down the table to clip a red to the bottom left pocket via the rest.

A thunderous pot on a red to the bottom right pocket looks good but he is rather unfortunate when a red breaks free from the pack and blocks his path to a routine black.

He’s forced to aim for the green from distance and can’t quite convince it to go down. His break ends on 32 but he could yet get another chance to finish the match off in this frame.

WILSON 9-3 DING (1-7)

A wry smile from Kyren as he spies a red to middle left through the pack. He tries to shunt through to the space from the pot but snookers himself.

His attempt to come off the left cushion and clip the black goes horribly wrong and he ends up missing it by some distance. Ding puts him back in and this time the No.5 seed hits his target.

IT'S SURELY JUST A CASE OF WHEN....

The players return from their break with Wilson on the brink of victory. Ding is playing for pride and then hoping for some sort of miracle!

Kyren Wilson at the Tour Championship, Bonus Arena, Hull, March 31, 2023

Image credit: Eurosport

MID-SESSION INTERVAL - WILSON 9-3 DING

Are we surprised that Wilson hands out the most ruthless of punishments?

Quite frankly, no. Not on the evidence of what we’ve seen already today.

The 31-year-old five-time ranking-title winner settles right back into a familiar groove, taking advantage of a wide spread of reds north of the pink spot to threaten a seventh century.

It looks well and truly on when he nicks the final two reds away from the left and right respective cushions, but he then barely touches the red close to the middle right pocket. He sees the funny side as his break ends on 83, and well he might given that he’s now just one frame from victory.

WILSON 8-3 DING (0-1)

Oops. It’s a tale of two misses as Ding’s speculative attempt from baulk fails to land before Wilson fails with a more bread and butter attempt to the same right corner pocket.

‘Go on, Ding!’ is the roar from the crowd.

He responds by sinking a red to the bottom left but the inexplicably blows a routine green that jiggles with the pocket before spurning its overtures.

Wilson’s eyes light up and Ding knows that could be very, very costly.

WILSON 8-3 DING

This is more like it from Ding. He puts away a tough black with the cue ball close to the right cushion to the bottom left corner and then teases a red in from a tricky angle to middle right.

There are signs he’s getting more flow to his game as some excellent feel on a shot on the black to the bottom left pocket sees him use the red at the foot of the pack to stun the cue ball and maintain his position by the black spot and continue the break.

There’s no doubt he desperately needed to have his voice heard in this semi final and a maiden century of the match is the perfect riposte as he clears up to the pink with a break of 113.

Kyren Wilson at the Tour Championship, Bonus Arena, Hull, March 31, 2023

Image credit: Eurosport

WILSON 8-2 DING (0-1)

Ding must be wondering what’s happening out there. It’s not as if he’s played that badly. He’s just barely been given a chance.

The crowd get right behind him as they want to see a lot more snooker than seems likely at this point and there are cheers of encouragement when he slots a red into the bottom right pocket via the rest.

However, a cut on the black to the opposite corner is some way from the centre of the pocket and this visit ends all-too quickly.

For once Wilson doesn’t make him pay and Ding will try again. He needs something special here to at least make the scoreline a tad more respectable.

WILSON 8-2 DING

Ding lets Wilson off the hook after the No.5 seed had opened the door with a poor choice of shot pushing a red towards the yellow pocket. The Chinese ace can’t find the right angle though and his cut towards the same pocket catches the near jaw and stays out.

Wilson ponders his options for 30 seconds and then executes the toughest shot of the three to tease a slow-paced red high into that yellow pocket.

It sets him off on the hunt for another eye-watering haul, maybe more aptly a tear-inducing one, particularly if you are Ding or one of his faithful supporters.

Wilson works through the stray reds and then splits the pack around the pink, leaving the black free to prey upon with such a smooth and confident cue-action leading to pot after seamless pot.

The positional play to find a comfortable angle on the final red close to the left cushion is quite sublime and he glides that into the middle right pocket before clinching his SIXTH century en route to a 118 clearance up to the pink.

He's two away from the final and is in a class of his own right now.

WILSON 7-2 DING

New session, same old story.

Wilson locks right away as he cuts a long red down the right-hand rail and into the corner pocket to open the scoring.

His confidence and clarity of mind is evident in his next shot as he sizzles the brown into the green pocket, coming off four cushions to land perfectly on a red near the bottom deck, ready to gorge upon the black.

Another high-scoring break looks on the cards when he glides a tough black into the corner from a high-risk angle and his weight of shot continues to earn ripples of applause as he lands neatly on red after red, eagerly swatting them out of sight.

Frame ball is far from routine but again he makes it look effortless with some excellent cue-action to angle it down to the bottom right corner. The final red is possibly the toughest shot of the frame but he arrows it up the right-hand rail into the green pocket with aplomb.

It’s just the start he would have wanted and Ding must surely have that sinking feeling once more as the Warrior notches up a FIFTH century of the contest with a 107 break that surprisingly ends when he clanks his cue and misses a relatively simple yellow.

HERE WE GO!

Intros done, applause soaked up and pre-break formalities quickly concluded.

Ding will get us back underway.

PUNDIT PREDICTIONS

Hendry: “I think we’ll get an interval. It’ll be 10-3 or 10-4 (to Wilson).”

Neal Foulds: “I think there will be frames won on both sides now so, 10-5 or 10-6 (to Wilson).”

KEY STATS SO FAR

Percentage pot success: Wilson 95-89 Ding

Total points won: Wilson 626-170 Ding

Centuries: Wilson 4-0 Ding

FIRST FRAME OF THE SESSION KEY FOR DING

The legendary Stephen Hendry has given his two cents on how he sees this evening's session with Wilson 6-2 up and needing four frames to secure a spot in the final.

Speaking on ITV4, the seven-time World champion said: “He’s (Wilson) had three or four hours off and sometimes that can interrupt your momentum, but he looks very focused.”

He added: “The first frame tonight will determine how quickly this match is finished. If Wilson carries on where he left off it could be over quickly.”

Relive the first 147 in Tour Championship history

Could Kyren Wilson follow in the footsteps of Ryan Day this evening? The Warrior has already plundered four centuries in this match...

Confirmed - the top 16 seeds for the 2023 World Championships

As defending champion, Ronnie O’Sullivan is guaranteed to be the top seed and will play at 10:00 and 19:00 on the opening day of the tournament on April 15.

However, he could lose his status as world No. 1 if Mark Selby beats Shaun Murphy in the second semi-final at the Tour Championship on Saturday.

Click here for the full story and list

'It's up there...'

Wilson reflects on one of the best sessions of snooker he has ever played.

WELCOME BACK!

Ready for some more snooker?

Yep… me too! So what are we expecting now?

Well, if Wilson hits the same sort of form that he produced for the majority of the afternoon session then it could be a short and torrid conclusion to the match for Ding.

It’s not even as if the Chinese No.8 seed played badly, he made breaks of 86 and 51 in the two frames he won, he simply wasn’t given many opportunities to settle in on the baize.

But, if the Warrior doesn’t quite recapture the rhythm that saw him plunder four centuries earlier, we may be in for a more even tussle.

The players are due back at 19.00 BST, so get yourself in the mood for what should at least be a fine spectacle of attack-minded snooker!

Ding Junhui at the Tour Championship, Bonus Arena, Hull, March 31, 2023

Image credit: Eurosport

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JOIN US AGAIN AT 18.30 BST THIS EVENING

It’s looking like Wilson is on an unstoppable charge towards Sunday’s final.

Can Ding conjure up anything to turn this around? We’ll find out soon enough. The concluding session of this semi final is back underway from 19.00 BST with Wilson 6-2 up and needing just four frames to triumph.

See you then!

WILSON 6-2 DING

What a pot! Wilson takes on a red just south-east of the pack with the cue ball tight to the bottom rail, but manages to roll a beauty of a long shot up to the yellow pocket.

Fittingly, it’s the platform for more break-building brilliance as a Kyren who is oozing with confidence almost saunters through some rapid red-black combinations on his way past another half century.

A routine black to the bottom left pocket seals a fourth century of the afternoon and that's all he needs as the final red fails to drop.

WILSON 5-2 DING

Well, Ding is at least showing that when he gets a chance he’s more than capable of stringing a run together.

Wilson’s form has been so good that the Chinese has been rooted to his seat for much of this afternoon session, but the No.8 seed takes full of advantage of a rare lapse from his opponent to claw another frame back.

A superb pot on a blue to the middle left sees the cue ball fly into the pack and spread the table from a promising layout into a frame-winning one.

Once again he comes up short in pursuit of a century but a break of 86 is not too shabby at all and sets us up for a big, big, BIIIIGGGG frame to conclude the afternoon session.

If Ding wins then a 5-3 deficit will feel like a bit of a win given he was 4-0 down and how well Wilson has played, while Kettering’s No.5 seed will feel a 6-2 lead is the least he deserves heading into this evening’s finale.

WILSON 5-1 DING (7-0)

Normal service resumed?

It looks like it when Wilson rolls away a yellow and then sizzles a long red to the bottom right corner.

It all goes awry on a similar red a moment later, however, as it rattles both jaws before popping back out to gasps of surprise from the crowd.

Chance for Ding!

WILSON 5-1 DING

Fortune does not favour the brave here. Ding opts for a plant to the bottom left corner via a double. His line looked good and it could have been one of the pots of the week, but he just lacked the pace.

It’s inventive, but it ultimately proves costly as it opens the door for Wilson, who rather lazily knocks in the red which leaves him with a tougher black that he manages to re-focus and take care of to the bottom right pocket.

The table is well spread and whoever got in was always going to be favourite to come away with the frame. Indeed, Wilson may not have hit the pre-interval heights, but he’s solid enough to motor towards another half century with some routine red-black combos.

You can see the No.5 seed easing through a couple of gears as he passes frame ball and seizes the opportunity to re-establish his four-frame advantage and clock up his fourth century of the tournament via a highly impressive 115 clearance.

WILSON 4-1 DING (0-1)

Enter the Dragon….

Ding’s nickname seems even more fitting at this juncture as it feels like he has finally joined this semi-final party, albeit a couple of hours late!

He rolls a well-controlled long red from baulk into the bottom left corner to pot his way out of danger following some smart safety from both players.

It doesn’t lead anywhere as the cagey safety continues but it at least appears to be a more competitive encounter now…

WILSON 4-1 DING

There’s been a real drop-off from Wilson since the interval. He’s missed more chances than over the entire duration of the first four frames and it’s enough to help Ding get off the mark.

Kyren takes on a long red down the left rail that is far from easy, but he wildly misses the bottom pocket by some way to allow Ding to cut a red perfectly into the same corner.

The No.8 seed struggles to gain complete control of the cue ball at first, but slowly finds a flowing rhythm, making use of the pink with the black out of action on the bottom cushion between two reds.

There’s the brief suggestion he could clock up a high score but he can’t quite guide a long red up to the green pocket and has to make do with a break of 51 that is more than enough to keep Kyren in his seat.

WILSON 4-0 DING (0-32)

The Warrior gets a first look at a long pot from baulk but this time his cut on a red to the bottom right pocket is just off.

Some spectators urge Ding to take advantage but he looks very rusty as he misses an attempt to the bottom left by some distance.

It’s déjà vu moments later as Wilson miscues on another long attempt, but this time Ding can’t miss a simple red to the bottom right.

The Chinese star looks relieved as he belatedly gets off the mark and sets about trying to reduce the arrears.

He’s looking good on a break of 32 but overcuts a make-able red to the bottom left pocket and his hopes of a morale-boosting run to lay a foundation for a recovery are on hold for now.

MID-SESSION INTERVAL - WILSON 4-0 DING (Kyren dominates with 78, 130, 59 and 103)

The spectators show their appreciation for some excellent safety from both players in the fledgling moments of Frame 4.

Ding is desperate to get his teeth into this contest but, perhaps somewhat inevitably, it’s Wilson who breaks the deadlock with a scorching long red to the bottom right corner.

The 2023 European Masters champion preys off some cheap red-black combinations before nudging more of the pack loose with an excellent pot on a red to the bottom left corner.

A tricky red down the left rail is made to look effortless and routine but is far from it and he again makes intelligent use of position topside of blue to further develop his streak with another half century.

The No.5 seed rattles the blue to middle left and cannons quite brilliantly into the remainder of the pack to spread the table nicely and threaten another century.

It’s bordering on perfection at this juncture with applause after almost every shot, but he does blot his copybook ever so slightly as he ends on a break of 103 when his sensational form was suggesting another clearance.

A penny for Ding’s thoughts as he heads into the break having barely had a shot - Wilson looks imperious!

WILSON 3-0 DING

Ding’s respite is short-lived as he gambles with a double on a red from right to left middle that never really looks like coming off.

Wilson duly punishes the error by knocking it into right middle and the man nicknamed ‘Enter the Dragon’ sees his scoreless run continue as his opponent polishes off the frame with a break of 34.

WILSON 2-0 DING (59-0)

The applause continues to ring in Kyren’s ears as he maintains his red-hot start with long pot from baulk to sink a far from routine red into the bottom right pocket.

It highlights just how confident he’s feeling right now and he tidies up a yellow-red-brown combo in the Northern hemisphere of the table to set up a red from left to right that leaves him perfectly on the black.

There’s a brief interruption as a spectator’s watch inadvertently catches the light and gets in Wilson’s eye-line. The referee intervenes but it does little to halt the No.5 seed’s charge as his next shot brilliantly splits the pack and again sets him up for a potentially frame-winning visit.

As the half century approaches, he’s forced to pull off an exquisite cut to the bottom right pocket on the stretch to regain position, but given his current form he never looked like missing.

However, his purple patch does finally conclude when he runs out of options with six reds remaining and he plays a nice safety that leaves the cue ball tight to the yellow pocket.

WILSON 2-0 DING

Ding takes his seat and folds his arms, most probably in annoyance as a tame safety attempt goes pear-shaped.

Wilson takes advantage as he rolls a red across the bottom rail into the left-hand corner before emphatically rubbing his opponent’s nose in it with a clinical pot on the pink.

Some intelligent snooker sees the Warrior move towards baulk to finish off a yellow and gain some nice position on the red at the top of the pack before he returns top-side of the blue to make mopping up a succession of reds rather routine.

Eventually Kyren removes enough of the clustered reds to free up the black and he’s able to continue the heavy scoring and work towards another frame-winning run.

Ding can only watch on as his opponent clocks up another highly impressive break, passing the century mark with a sizzling pink to the bottom right pocket before rushing through the colours to finish with a classy 130 clearance.

WILSON 1-0 DING

There’s some tentative safety to kick us off with Kyren turning down a long red near the right cushion due to his chest’s close-proximity to the yellow in baulk, which makes the prospect of the bridge as part of his cue-action too awkward.

As a result, Ding is the first to go on the offensive, but he misses a cut on a red to the bottom right by some distance, which allows Wilson to step in and sink it into the same pocket via the rest.

The No.5 seed makes use of the blue in the mid-pockets to try and exploit a relatively open spread of the pack before working his way down to the black.

At that point it seems premature to suggest it could be a frame-winning visit, but as the balls roll down it certainly evolves into that situation with the pink proving very handy too.

Frame ball passes with relative ease, which is just as well, as a trio of reds tight to the bottom right cushion would have added some real pressure. He duly misses a long pot on one of them from baulk but it matters little as he gets off the mark with a very solid break of 78.

SHOW TIME!

Big entrance? Check. Formalities addressed with the referee? Check.

Okay then, let's get down to business!

Ding will break first in the first of the two sessions in a best of 19-frame affair.

A CLOSER LOOK: THE EXPERT VIEW

Eurosport regular Dave Hendon analyses where this semi final could be won (or lost) with 1997 World Champion Ken Doherty.

RECENT FORM

Wilson has arguably looked the more consistent of the two players and clinched the fifth ranking title of his career at the European Masters earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Ding’s first title since 2019 came at the Six Red World Championship in Thailand last month.

'That's what it means to him' - Ding beats Thepchaiya to win Six Red World Championship

HEAD-TO-HEAD

This will be their 16th showdown with Wilson leading Ding 9-6 in the match-up. However, it's been quite one-sided in favour of the Warrior since 2018, with Wilson winning seven of the pair’s last eight encounters.

'IT’S IMPORTANT TO TALK'

Kyren Wilson has revealed that opening up about his son’s illness has made him feel better about the situation and has subsequently helped him on the snooker table.

Wilson’s son Bailey was hospitalised in January with a feared cancerous tumour. However, thankfully, those fears were allayed.

I have sometimes felt that snooker is the be-all and end-all, but this has made me realise how lucky I am, and it has freed me up to just enjoy the game."

You can read more from Kyren here

UPSETTING THE ODDS

Ding reached the last four courtesy of a shock 10-5 success over top seed Mark Allen while Wilson demolished Ali Carter 10-4.

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT THEN…

Well, the Tour Championship is a somewhat new tournament on the snooker calendar with Ronnie O’Sullivan winning the inaugural event in 2019.

It consists of the players topping the one-year rankings with Stephen Maguire lifting the trophy in 2020 before Neil Robertson triumphed two years running.

None of the aforementioned stars have qualified this year which means we will have a new name on the trophy come Sunday evening.

Neil Robertson with the Tour Championship trophy (World Snooker)

Image credit: Eurosport

GOOD AFTERNOON

Hello there! It’s time for some more snooker with the first semi final of this year’s Tour Championship almost upon us.

No.5 seed Kyren Wilson meets No.8 seed Ding Junhui in a showdown for a place in the 2023 final.

The players are due to commence combat on the baize from 13.00 BST, so let's indulge in a bit of build up to get us underway.

Selby withstands Day charge to set up clash with Murphy in semi-finals

Mark Selby fended off a fightback from Ryan Day to book his place in the semi-finals of the Tour Championship with a 10-7 win over Ryan Day.

Selby broke the back of the match when taking a 6-2 lead in the afternoon session in Hull and won the first two frames of the evening to leave Day with a mountain to climb.

Day won three frames in a row either side of the mid-session interval and looked on course to make it four on the spin, only to foul when in the balls, and Selby stepped in to take his chance.

Day refused to wilt and won two on the spin with a fine passage of play, but Selby took the chance he was presented with in the 17th frame to close out the match and set up a meeting with Shaun Murphy.

Read the full report here.