England’s Kyren Wilson on Saturday cruised into his second World Snooker Championship final and revealed his success at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre has been helped by sessions with a hypnotherapist.
Wilson claimed a 17-11 victory against qualifier David Gilbert after taking three of the four frames in the third session to wrap up his semi-final that earned him another shot at the world title after his defeat in the 2020 final against Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Afterward, the 32-year-old world No. 12 said he has been boosted by seeing a hypnotherapist during his run to the final.
Photo: AP
“It’s just about emptying your stress bucket,” Wilson said. “We all have things going on that can affect our day-to-day life, and it allowed me to go out there and be a little bit freer.
“Our minds are so clogged up with so many different things that don’t need to be there, so if you can just eliminate them and go out and play snooker it makes the game a hell of a lot easier.”
In the final, which started yesterday and ends today, Wilson is facing 30-year-old Jak Jones after the Welshman became the first qualifier to reach the title match since Ding Junhui in 2016.
Jones, ranked 44 in the world, defeated Stuart Bingham 17-12 in his semi-final.
“When I think of watching the World Championship final every year, thinking it’s a dream and what an unbelievable occasion it is, it doesn’t really feel real that I’m in that World final,” Jones told the BBC. “But I am, and I couldn’t be any happier.”
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