World champion Kyren Wilson shrugged off a headache and concerns over the speed of the tables to sweep past Stephen Maguire 6-0 in the first round of the UK Championship.
Wilson dominated what had been a scrappy afternoon session at the Barbican Centre in York to take a 4-0 lead – with neither player able to build a half-century break.
After the interval Wilson – who has won two ranking titles already this season – finally found some rhythm as a run of 71 put him within a frame of victory.
After Maguire, who won the 2004 UK Championship title, missed another chance to build a response, Wilson, already 27 in front, took the opportunity to clear up to the pink.
Wilson, second in the current world standings, avoided becoming another seed to suffer an early exit with Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby both having failed to progress.
“It was a strange match,” Wilson said afterwards to the BBC.
“Early doors both of us were going into the pack, not really landing on a ball and having to play safe.
“For me the table was so difficult to judge. I don’t know if that was what was wrong with Stephen today.
“I felt if you were playing it slow, it was drifting to the right.
“When you have to start hitting the balls a bit harder on these tables, the pockets are just so unforgiving that it makes the game harder.
“I just had to stay composed. I felt amazing in my game, but it was not just quite clicking today.”
Wilson also revealed he has been struggling with a headache. “I woke up with it again today,” he said.
“Going out for the first frame, there is so much intensity, your heart is racing, the lights are quite different and it was so warm – I just felt like my head was going to explode.
“So I had to get out of there and just take some more painkillers, but it is not too bad now.”
Maguire, meanwhile, was downbeat after “one of the worst performances ever”.
He said: “It was rubbish, nothing else I can say, just garbage.
“It was a hard one to take. You just go home and see what the next day brings.
“You can’t explain that. It was one of the worse performances ever. I am struggling to believe how bad that was.”
WAKELIN BATTLES THROUGH! 🔥
— WST (@WeAreWST) November 25, 2024
He beats Matt Selt 6-4 in a fragmented affair in York - he plays Kyren Wilson next.#VPUKChampionship | @Victorianplumb pic.twitter.com/7C2Fz0kAVi
There was a closer contest on the other table, where Chris Wakelin battled past Matthew Selt 6-4 to secure his place in the last 16 against Wilson.
Wakelin, the 15th seed, had been 2-0 down before making a break of 75 in the third frame, which was followed by 68 from Selt.
The match remained a tight affair, with neither player able to craft another half-century as it was locked at 4-4.
After Selt looked set in the ninth frame, a missed black to the bottom corner proved costly as Wakelin came from behind to win 65-55 – and take the lead for the first time.
Further breaks of 31 and 32 – as well as being helped by a doubled yellow – left Selt needing snookers before Wakelin eventually clipped in the brown to secure a hard-earned victory.
In Monday’s evening session, qualifier Michael Holt pulled off another upset with a 6-1 win over 10th seed Gary Wilson.
Holt – who came through four preliminary rounds in Leicester to reach the main draw – dug in to build a 4-1 lead, which he extended with a superb 95 clearance.
The seventh frame, though, proved a tense affair as both men failed to make the most of promising positions – Holt snookering himself after potting the brown with only three other colours left.
The world number 98, though, then clipped in a long pink to seal a memorable victory, reaching the last 16 of the tournament for the first time since 1999.
