Wilson produces superb fightback to beat Moody, 19

Kyren Wilson produced a superb fightback from 6-2 and 7-3 down by winning seven frames in a row to deny 19-year-old Stan Moody a memorable victory on his World Championship debut at the Crucible.

English teenager Moody led 6-3 at the mid-session interval and was on course to become the youngest player to win a match at the famous Sheffield theatre since a 19-year-old Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Dave Harold and Darren Morgan before falling to Stephen Hendry in 1995.

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In a thrilling match, arguably the best of the championship so far, 2024 champion Wilson punched the air in delight when he won the 17th frame on a black-ball finish to seal a 10-7 success after Moody had missed a chance to extend the match.

“Just too many bad frames,” said Moody. “I had the match won at 7-3 but then I missed the red to go 8-3 and he won it with three snookers.

“I felt comfortable out there, but bad frames like that hurt. But I will come back stronger. Hopefully I will be here next year. I just try to learn what shots to play at the right time and to miss less balls.”

Moody, 44th in the world rankings, had to win two matches to qualify.

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On the day before his final qualifying match, last Tuesday, he had been in hospital with tonsillitis. But Moody discharged himself before playing, going against medical advice, and beat China’s Jiang Jun 10-9, with a century in the deciding frame, to earn his Crucible spot.

Higgins and Ding advance into last 16

Four-time champion John Higgins had led 4-0 against Ali Carter on Sunday, only for the Englishman to win five frames in a row to hold the overnight lead.

Higgins, 50, made breaks of 63 and 81 to go ahead, before Carter’s 106 in frame 12 made it 6-6, although the Scot won four of the next five frames to advance 10-7.

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That sets up a last-16 match against either seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan or Chinese debutant He Guoqiang.

“That’s the first time here I’ve been 4-0 up and then gone 5-4 behind so it was not a great sleep,” said Higgins. “But I tried to forget about that and get on with my game.

“There’s nobody that has more respect for Ali as a snooker player than me, I’ve played him so many times and sometimes he has been cueing like a dream.

“Deep down when my name was pulled out against him I was not happy – you know you’re in for a mammoth game so I’m over the moon I got the win.”

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Carter, beaten by O’Sullivan in the 2008 and 2012 finals, has now gone out in the first round in the Crucible in four years in a row.

“I made a couple of mistakes and got punished severely, just a little bit of a run of the balls – I’m as sick as a dog,” said Carter.

Ding Junhui, the 2016 runner-up, completed a 10-5 win over David Gilbert, having held a 7-2 lead following Sunday’s opening session.

In an all-Chinese last-16 tie, Ding will take on Zhao Xintong, who became the country’s first world champion in 2025.

China’s 10th seed Wu Yize made one century and five half-centuries in a one-sided session to lead compatriot Lei Peifan 8-1.

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