Kyren Wilson admits snooker mistake after 'desperate' decision at Northern Ireland Open

Kyren Wilson has admitted he made a mistake by attempting a shot that would have kept him in the hunt for a maximum break at the Northern Ireland Open. The 33-year-old, who won the World Snooker Championship in 2024, ended up missing the pot, with his opponent going on to win the frame after returning to the table.

Wilson entered the Northern Ireland Open as one of the favourites after winning the event last year following a 9-3 victory over Judd Trump in the final. He began this season's edition of the tournament with a narrow win against Oliver Lines, before easing past Ryan Day in his second match. And he was drawn to face world No. 51 Guoqiang He in round three.

Wilson won the first frame and appeared to be cruising in the second after potting five red balls and five black balls to rack up 40 points.

And with the maximum still on, the Warrior turned down an easy pot that would have left him on the blue in favour of a risky pot that would have left him on the black if he had executed it perfectly.

Unfortunately for Wilson, he misjudged his effort and hit the wrong red ball as his break came to an end.

And discussing the incident after the match, the talented star admitted he shouldn't have taken the red pot on in the first place.

"I think I am on either ball into each corner pocket, but it's landed in such a way that I could not pot it. I should not have gone for it but I was desperate for it," he explained.

Despite losing the frame, the miss didn't affect the outcome of the match, with Wilson going on to secure a 4-2 victory. He will face Jack Lisowski in the quarter-finals, with the winner of that match due to play either Tom Ford or Yuelong Zhou in the semis.

"I feel so confident and so good this week," Wilson added. "I think there is something about being in Ireland, the people of Belfast always turn out in large numbers so they kind of make you feel really good.

"I kind of feel like I am not going to miss, which every now and again is making me miss as I am taking it for granted. I would rather be feeling like that than feeling like I could not pot a ball.

"I want to make the one-table setup, so the quarter-finals is a big match."