Every so often a player comes along who you just know is here for the long haul and this is a befitting way to describe Kyren Wilson right now.
His emergence through the ranks over the past few years has been impressive and now through to his maiden Masters semi-final in only his second appearance at Alexandra Palace, it really feels as though he is cementing his place among the sport’s top stars.
Wilson will know he didn’t need to be anywhere near his best to edge his way past a below-par Mark Williams 6-1, but the way in which he has fairly comfortably made his way through to the last four here is a great illustration of how far he has come.
Despite being the second youngest player competing in this year’s event, he seems to handle the big stage with such maturity and has a level-headed approach to the game which will, without doubt, stand him in great stead for sustaining his position in the world’s top 16 for many years to come.
He has such a rounded game conducive to building consistency moving forward in the fact that he doesn’t merely rely on outrageous potting ability or bouts of heavy scoring; his game is far more layered than this.
To think that he only re-joined the professional tour in 2013 and is only in his fifth season since doing so, his progress is mightily impressive and a testament to his dedication towards the game.
With one title already under his belt and two more finals contested this season, it’s surely only a matter of time until he becomes a multiple ranking event winner although I’m sure he will see this as just another step towards his much greater ambitions in the game.
He awaits the winner of Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy in his semi-final on Saturday. While he’s almost certain to go into that match as the underdog, there’s no doubting he’ll make a real fight of it.
He deserves plenty of praise for his progress already this week, but we all know there’s more to come from Kyren in the future years. If he takes his chance now and can convert this run into a place in Sunday’s final though, this will be a huge leap and a massive milestone moment.
