After the game was tied at 9-9 on Saturday afternoon, the Warrior overcame Dave Gilbert 17-11 to advance as the first player into the championship.
O’Sullivan stated on Eurosport, “He’s stepped up his game and the idea is to trounce your opponent as quickly, as fast, and as efficient as you can.” He has been performing that better than anyone else in this event.
Wilson had not been pushed close by any of his opponents thus far, as he easily defeated Dominic Dale 10-1 and Joe O’Connor 13-6 in his opening two matches before defeating John Higgins 13-8 in the quarterfinals.
The Rocket is impressed with Wilson’s play, believing that he is moving about the table more quickly, projecting more aggression, and reaping the benefits.
“You have to get them out of the way lively, without much effort, if you want to win tournaments regularly and have a long career.”
“It sounds simple, but there’s a knack to it, and once you figure it out, long-term success has to come naturally; if you keep working hard, you’ll end up killing yourself.”
Stuart Bingham defeated O’Sullivan in the quarterfinals, and either Bingham or Jak Jones will face Wilson in the Sunday final.
The seven-time world champion stated, “I think Kyren enjoys the pressure of being favourite to win a match.” Some players don’t seem to appreciate it; Bingham, in particular, may have had some difficulties.
However, I believe Kyren believes he truly relishes the pressure of being the favourite. There are several forms of pressure, and as the tournament favourite, I believe he’ll be able to handle it better than the others.
Even if the 32-year-old is only making “micro improvements” in his own perspective, O’Sullivan believes he has progressed since losing to the Rocket in the 2020 Crucible final.
The 48-year-old claimed, “He’s a fighter; he never gives in, always plays the table, doesn’t seem to play the scoreboard.” You can outscore him 9–4, but if you slow down, he won’t realise the game is over and will simply keep potting balls.
Which is a fantastic asset that he will have for the remainder of his professional life.
It’s evident that he has been working on things, and since you can always brush up on things, I believe that he has been doing that for the past few years.
“Maybe he felt he needed to work on his cue ball control. You make little adjustments, but these little adjustments add up to a lot in your own mind.”
