Kyren Wilson lifted the Shanghai Masters trophy 12 months ago and the Warrior will have high hopes of retaining his title in China.
The Kettering cueman takes on three-time world champion Mark Williams in the quarter-final and the stage is set for a top-level contest.
Kyren Wilson v Mark Williams Tips Summary
Best Bet - Kyren Wilson -1.5 frames @ 5/6
Alternative Bet - Kyren Wilson to win 6-2 @ 13/2
Kyren Wilson v Mark Williams Prediction
Best Bet: Kyren Wilson -1.5 frames @ 5/6
Kyren Wilson made a strong start to the defence of the Shanghai Masters title he won 12 months ago and the Warrior looks ready to battle to another success.
The Kettering potter was strong enough to withstand breaks of 100, 113 and 131 from Ronnie O’Sullivan in their last-16 tie and Wilson was able to draw clear to win 6-4 after trailing the Rocket 4-3.
The Warrior made knocks of 79, 89, 91 and 113 in his success over the seven-time world champion and those numbers indicate that the 34-year-old is in good break-building form.
The victory over O’Sullivan made it five consecutive Shanghai Masters wins for Wilson, who beat Ali Carter, Zhao Xintong, O’Sullivan and Si Jiahui on his way to the title 12 months ago.
It’s clear that the Warrior is at home in China and the 2024 world champion looks ready to progress past quarter-final opponent Mark Williams.
The Welshman is a dangerous rival when at his peak, but only four breaks of 50 or more in a 6-5 last-16 win over Chris Wakelin suggests that the Cwm cueman may need to find more against Wilson.
Williams has won only three matches in his last four visits to the Shanghai Masters and the invitational event has not been a happy hunting ground for the three-time world champion in recent seasons.
The Welshman collected the Xi’an Grand Prix crown in the early part of last season, but his form tailed off towards the end of the campaign and culminated in a second-round exit at the World Championship.
Clearly, Williams still has a high peak, but the 51-year-old has been lacking consistency and that could be the difference against a rock-solid Wilson.
Take the Warrior to give the Welshman a 1.5-frame start in this best-of-11-rack quarter-final showdown.
Alternative Bet: Kyren Wilson to win 6-2 @ 13/2
Kyren Wilson has won four of his last five matches against Mark Williams and the Warrior is ready to extend that excellent record.
The Kettering cueman has seen his two most recent victories come by scorelines of 6-3 and 5-1 and the 34-year-old is no stranger to a wide-margin success over the three-time world champion.
Wilson has an excellent recent record at the Shanghai Masters, winning all of his last five matches and the defending champion looks ready for another comfortable win.
Williams hasn’t been at home at the invitational event in recent seasons, losing in the second round in his three previous visits to the Shanghai Masters and Wilson rates a bet to win 6-2 on the correct-score market.
Kyren Wilson v Mark Williams H2H Record & Stats
Kyren Wilson | 13 |
Mark Williams | 7 |
Key Match Stats
Kyren Wilson has won all of his last five Shanghai Masters matches
Mark Williams has won only three matches in his last four visits to the Shanghai Masters
Kyren Wilson has won four of his last five meetings with Mark Williams
Kyren Wilson won 34 of the 53 matches he contested last season
Mark Williams hasn't been past the quarter-finals in any of his last 10 visits to the Shanghai Masters
Six of the last eight meetings between these players have gone to a deciding frame
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
