Kyren Wilson v Anthony McGill: World Snooker Championship 2020 Semi-Final preview: Maiden Crucible final up for grabs
Wilson aims to enter uncharted territory
World number eight Kyren Wilson and qualifier Anthony McGill face off for the right to reach a landmark first World Snooker Championship final at The Crucible.
The duo have progressed through a wide open top half of the draw to move to remain in with a golden opportunity of a life-changing world title triumph.
Their routes to the Semi-Finals could not be more contrasting, but now a test of stamina, mental strength and all-round ability awaits over four sessions in Sheffield.
For Wilson, this will be his second taste of the iconic one-table setup, having gone down to John Higgins at this stage of the competition two years ago.
Wilson has continued his superb consistency at The Crucible, having reached at least the Quarter-Final stage in his last five visits, and will now be determined to take the next step.
The Kettering cueist found himself in the unprecedented position of watching the entire First Round unfold from home, having received a bye as a result of Anthony Hamilton’s withdrawal.
The number eight seed came into the tournament fresh, and despite lacking the match sharpness gained by his rivals, he saw off a resurgent Martin Gould 13-9.
He then announced himself as a key title contender by dethroning reigning champion Judd Trump with a 13-9 victory in the Quarter-Finals and will still feel he has gears to go through.
Wilson is bidding for his fourth ranking title, five years on from his first at the Shanghai Masters and is out to avenge his defeat to McGill in the final of the 2016 Indian Open.
McGill has become the sixth Scotsman to reach a World Championship Semi-Final, eclipsing his debut run to the Last Eight five years ago.
The 29-year-old has come through two epic last-frame deciders so far and is out to become the first qualifier to win the world title since Shaun Murphy back in 2005.
McGill began by edging out 13th seed Jack Lisowski 10-9 in Round One, before pulling off a remarkable comeback from 8-2 down to deny debutant Jamie Clarke 13-12 in a gripping battle packed with drama and controversy.
Despite that midnight finish, the Glaswegian dusted himself down and came out firing against Kurt Maflin the following afternoon, racing into a 7-1 lead which he eventually pressed home to prevail 13-10.
McGill now finds himself in a fifth career ranking Semi-Final and is eyeing a fifth win over Wilson in what is their eighth meeting in total.
Two of Wilson’s wins came in the Six Reds Championship, while he also defeated McGill en route to glory at the Shanghai Masters in 2015.
Their best of 33 frame match gets underway from 1pm BST on Wednesday for a total of eight frames, resuming at 10am and 7pm on Thursday before being played to a finish from 2.30pm on Friday.
Either five-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan or three-time Crucible king Mark Selby will await the winner in the weekend’s final.