LONDON: Kyren Wilson wept tears of joy as he reached his first World Snooker Championship final after surviving a dramatic last frame to beat Anthony McGill 17-16 on Friday.
A remarkable finish to the first semi-final saw McGill miss a snooker eight times in a row before Wilson fluked a green to effectively seal the victory at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.
Scottish qualifier McGill had been one frame from victory, but world number eight Wilson hit back to win the last two.
England’s Wilson struggled to contain his emotions after his decisive shot and broke down during a post-match television interview.
Wilson, who beat defending champion Judd Trump in the quarter-finals, will face Ronnie O’Sullivan or Mark Selby in the final.
“I can’t believe it ended like that. I didn’t want to send someone home on a fluke,” Wilson said.
“I couldn’t believe what was happening. It was absolutely mental. It was one of the best semi-finals you’ll ever see but I wish it hadn’t ended the way it did.
“You can’t just rely on luck to get you a world crown and whoever I play in the final I’ve got to produce great snooker and I’m not going to get there by fluking balls.”
McGill added: “I feel like I’ve had something stolen from me, not by Kyren, but by the snooker gods.”
Wilson had returned for their concluding session with a 13-11 advantage and stretched his lead to three frames with a nerveless break of 94.
But McGill stormed back with consecutive breaks of 84, 87 and 122 to achieve parity at the mid-session interval.
Wilson nudged back in front with a break of 82 but McGill appeared unfazed and pulled back level before a nerveless 98 sent him one frame from victory.
Wilson forced the decider after a re-rack, but neither player could possibly have envisaged the drama that was soon to unfold.
Both players missed simple chances to claim frame and match, with McGill running aground on 39 then Wilson missing a simple red to middle on 47.
With the black teetering over the top pocket, Wilson snookered McGill on a nearby red and the Scot missed it eight times in a row – leaving him requiring snookers.
After an extended safety battle, Wilson fluked the green via three cushions to seal a memorable triumph.
Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry said on the BBC: “This is the most bizarre end to a World Championship match I’ve seen.”
Earlier, five-time champion O’Sullivan gave himself a chance of reaching his first world final since 2014 as he reduced his deficit against Selby to 13-11 heading into the last session later on Friday.

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