As he looks to build on his Crucible triumph, newly crowned world snooker champion Kyren Wilson aspires to emulate the legendary Ronnie O’Sullivan. This month, in the championship match, the 32-year-old defeated Jak Jones 18–14, setting off tearful scenes as he rejoiced with his family, four years after being defeated at the same level by the “Rocket.”
Wilson declared his goal to win more world crowns as soon as he lifted the trophy, referring to it as “this beautiful lady.” However, the “Warrior” has other objectives in mind. He also wants to become one of the select few athletes who have won all three Triple Crown competitions.
Wilson needs to win both the UK Championship and the Masters in order to become the 12th player to accomplish that feat, leaving O’Sullivan as one of just 11 players to date. “We want to win the Triple Crown in snooker, and I’ve won the hardest one so far,” he stated in a Northamptonshire Telegraph interview.
“The UK Championships and the Masters are unquestionably next on the schedule right now. In 2018, I was defeated by Mark Allen in the Masters final after a tough match, and I’ve also advanced to the UK semifinals twice.
I believe the reason why winning the world title was so exceptional was because I am aware of how close I have been to each of them. I have been knocking on their doors. Simply said, it felt good to be free of that terrible weight.”
Wilson aspires to be like the seven-time world champion in more ways than just winning a Triple Crown. He is presently ranked No. 3 in the world and has made no secret of his intention to overtake Mark Allen in the top spot.
Wilson went on, “I think it’s within reach to be world number one.” “I’ve always believed that winning a world title will always propel you up the rankings and offer you a chance to be ranked #1 because it is so highly coveted. Thus, that is undoubtedly being considered.
After winning the world championship, Allen became the number one player in the world, even though he lost to John Higgins 13–12 in the round of 16. That had been O’Sullivan’s motto before; the 48-year-old’s personal aspirations in Sheffield were dashed in the opening eight by an unexpected loss to Stuart Bingham.
Wilson still has a ways to go before he can match the icon’s total number of significant victories. O’Sullivan, who has won a record 23 Triple Crown tournaments, won the Masters and UK Championships this year as well. However, it was the first time he had not won all three in a single campaign.
