Kyren Wilson won seven frames on the spin to take control of the Northern Ireland Open final against Judd Trump.
Trump went into Sunday afternoon’s opening session as the form player of the tournament – and the star of the season so far after title wins in Shanghai and Saudi Arabia.
But he was dominated by Wilson, who produced top-drawer snooker and seized on a series of surprising errors from Trump to take a commanding 7-1 lead.
Wilson will return to the Waterfront Hall later in the evening looking for two frames to get his hands on the Alex Higgins Trophy.
There was nothing hollow about those words, judging on how he attacked the contest.
He got a chance in the first and crafted 58, which proved enough to get his nose in front.
Trump struggled with the pace of the table in the early stages as time and again he ran out of position. His potting got him out of trouble and when he found a superb plant he looked well set to take the second frame.
Trump pulls off brilliant plant against Wilson in Northern Ireland Open final
Wilson required a snooker with one red remaining on the table, but got a sniff of a chance when Trump failed to pot the red to the right middle.Â
It proved a costly miss as Wilson got his snooker, forced a safety error from Trump and picked off a clearance from yellow to black to double his lead.
Wilson pinches second frame against Trump after needing a snooker
Trump attempted to fall back on his safety play in the third, but it did not help as the Wilson onslaught continued and he extended his lead with a break of 81.
World No. 1 Trump lost only four frames on his run to the final in Belfast, but that number was doubled heading into the interval on Sunday as Wilson capitalised on more errors from his opponent to stroke in a break of 77 to extend his advantage.Â
Trump was on the practice table at the interval, but it did not spark a revival as he missed a simple pink in the fifth. It proved to be a costly blunder, as Wilson got in, split the pack and picked off a break of 77 to guarantee himself a lead going into the evening.
Wilson was riding the crest of a wave, and produced two excellent breaks in the sixth to extend his lead – the second contribution being a sublime 88.
Trump dug deep to make 61 in the seventh, roared on by a Belfast crowd desperate to see a contest. But he failed to get position on the final red and Wilson won a battle on the colours to move seven frames clear.
Trump avoided the prospect of a whitewash and gave himself something to cling to going into the evening with a break of 83 to take the eighth, but it will take a comeback of the ages to deny Wilson a first Home Nations title.