KYREN WILSON shrugged off the memory of one of his worst-ever snooker defeats, saying: I’d rather be destroyed than lose on the last black in a final-frame decider.
The Warrior did not pot a single ball as he was crushed 5-0 by Shaun Murphy this month in the last 16 of the Xi’an Grand Prix in Western China.
The Magician, 43, scored 533 points in a row, and was close to surpassing the world record of 556 unanswered points set by Ronnie O’Sullivan against Ricky Walden at the 2014 Masters.
It was a one-sided annihilation that sent shockwaves throughout the sport but Wilson, 33, had some mitigation as he had been struggling recently with stress as his wife underwent surgery.
Speaking about that loss for the first time, the world No.2 said: “I shook Shaun’s hand at the end of the match and said – ‘Mate, that’s the best anyone’s ever hit the ball against me.’
“Sometimes you just have to step away, hold your hands up and say the better man won on the day.
“I’d much rather lose like that and just not sit in awe because I think that’s a dangerous way to put it.
“And almost have a bit of admiration for the way your opponent has played rather than squander loads and loads of chances and lose 6-5 on the black and think I could have won that quite comfortably.
“Sometimes with this game – and that’s why I think it’s the toughest sport in the world – you cannot respond. You just got to sit there and suck it up.”
Wilson is the reigning Northern Ireland Open champion and opened up his defence against Oliver Lines on Tuesday afternoon in Belfast.
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But his last interaction with Lines, 30, was an awkward one and left him red faced.
The Kettering potter – who is struggling with a cold from his trip to Xi’an – said: “I must admit I felt really bad because we were on the same flight back from China.
“When we were stood at the baggage reclaim, I said to him: ‘What’s next for you then?’
“He said: ‘Oh, Belfast.’ I said: ‘Oh, who do you play?’ He said: ‘YOU.’
“I said: ‘Oh, I didn’t even know. I’m so sorry.’ I felt like I’d come across really rude.
“But with so many tournaments nowadays, I can’t keep up with who I’m playing and when I’m playing.
“I don’t really take any notice of it, to tell you the truth. But I know that he’s had a good start to the season.
“I remember him beating Judd Trump in Saudi Arabia, which is no mean feat. So, yeah, I’m sure he’s full of confidence and he’s going to be a tough first-round match.
“It could have been a lot easier.”
This assessment rang true as Lines battled to the very end in their bout, but Wilson eventually came out on top to add injury to his well-meant insult.
Wilson now faces Welshman Ryan Day in the round of 32 on Wednesday as he maintains his push for the title repeat.
Wilson continued: “You want to keep hold of your silverware. You want to keep hold of the tag of being the champion.
“It’s a great feeling going back to the tournament, being the defending champion. So if I can make that last for another year, that would be fantastic.”
