Kyren Wilson names the World Snooker Championship qualifier he wants to avoid
16 quality players will come through World Snooker Championship qualifying next week, but there is one Kyren Wilson wants to avoid at the Crucible above all others.
The high-pressure, intense qualifiers began on Monday at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield and won’t come to an end until Wednesday April 15.
The top 16 players in the world have already secured their places at the Crucible, but the same number of cueists must survive at least two qualifying matches to join them on snooker’s hallowed ground.
From former world champions Stuart Bingham and Luca Brecel to recent tournament winners Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Jack Lisowski are among the qualifying field.
With the likes of Stephen Maguire, Ali Carter and Gary Wilson also fighting for a spot at the Crucible, there is no shortage of big-hitters in the qualifiers.
It is none of those names that Wilson is most keen to avoid, though, in fact it is a player who is hoping to make his Crucible debut this year.
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23-year-old Chang Bingyu has produced some intimidating performances this season – after returning from a match-fixing ban – notably on a run to the Scottish Open final and in one unforgettable victory at the Welsh Open.
In Edinburgh Chang downed Stephen Maguire, Si Jiahui, Wilson, Mark Selby and Mark Allen on a stunning run to the final, where he ran out of gas and lost 9-2 to Chris Wakelin.
That remains his only ranking final, but he also attracted a lot of attention when he thrashed Shaun Murphy 4-0 in Llandudno, finishing the match with 100 per cent pot success thanks to breaks of 130, 136, 119 and 130.
It has certainly been enough to catch the 2024 world champion’s attention, who hopes not to see Chang’s name next to his in next Thursday’s World Championship draw.
‘I think one that springs to mind straight away would be Chang Bingyu,’ Wilson told Metro, via Midnite, on a qualifier he would hope to avoid. ‘I think the performance he put up against Shaun Murphy in the Welsh Open and he actually beat me in the Scottish Open and played great.
‘I think in the Scottish he went through me, Maguire, Si Jiahui, Mark Selby, Mark Allen, that’s a world class field.
‘He can obviously do it match after match and he’s obviously a very, very heavy scorer. So if I was going to pluck one out, it probably would be him.’
Murphy is unlikely to want to take on Chang again either, having seen first hand what he can do in Wales.
Speaking to the BBC after witnessing the perfect performance in February, the Magician said: ‘That’s the best performance in a best of seven match I’ve ever seen. If that was Ronnie O’Sullivan or Judd Trump it would be on the news. It was quite literally the best performance I’ve ever witnessed in a match of that length.
‘I’ve got nothing but good things to say. What a performance. What a player.’
Chang is yet to book his spot at the Crucible and he has plenty of work ahead of him in order to make his debut at the theatre this month.
The world number 51 meets Thai player Prin Ratmukda in his opener, with the winner taking on 2023 world champion Brecel in a potentially blockbuster clash for the penultimate round of qualifying.
There would still be work to do if Chang stops the Belgian Bullet, with one of Marco Fu, Liam Davies or Jak Jones to come on Judgement Day.
If the Chinese star does come through that tough section of the qualifying draw, then the seeds will be right to fear him at the Crucible.
Midnite, the UK betting and casino partner of the 2026 World Snooker Championship, is once again bringing exciting initiatives to the 17-day tournament, including the Midnite Lounge and the returning Midnite Maximum, where fans will be able to win up to £100,000.
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