McGill on course for Crucible upset

Photo of author

By admin

Anthony McGill lines up a shot
Anthony McGill is playing in his first World Championship semi-final
Venue: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Dates: 31 July-16 August
Coverage: Watch live on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and Red Button, with uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app. Full details and times.

Scotland’s Anthony McGill is on course to cause an upset in his first World Championship semi-final with a 6-2 lead over Kyren Wilson.

World number 39 McGill, 29, took a comfortable 3-0 lead before Wilson, 28, won his first frame.

McGill won the next two but a miss allowed Wilson – ranked 31 places higher – to regain some control at 5-2.

The Scotsman’s composure returned as he won the session’s final frame with a break of 92.

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby begin their semi-final on Wednesday evening, while McGill and Wilson’s semi-final continues from 10:00 BST on Thursday.

McGill unfazed on semi-final debut

McGill looked comfortable stepping up to the one-table set-up at the Crucible as he took the first three frames, which included breaks of 83 and 78.

Wilson – who beat defending champion Judd Trump in the quarter-finals – eventually got on the board in the best-of-33 match but McGill took control again after the mid-session break to go 4-1 up.

The Englishman’s error count increased as the pressure mounted and a break of 69 helped McGill take the sixth frame.

After a break of 45, Wilson gave McGill a chance to win the seventh but the Scotsman missed a straightforward blue to the middle and the opportunity to take a 6-1 lead.

McGill then came close to his first century break of this year’s tournament and had to settle for a 92 to end the session.

‘McGill has surprised a lot of people’ – Analysis

Six-time world champion Steve Davis on BBC Two

This is the most impressed I’ve been with Anthony McGill.

He has looked very assured. I think he has surprised a lot of people here.

I think most people thought it was Kyren Wilson’s destiny to at least get to the final… but that’s not the storyline so far. It’s not like Kyren’s really got going in the match.

We know from multi-session tournaments that it could turn around. Kyren could win the next one 6-2.

You’ve got to be strong enough from behind. If you can play decent snooker when the scoreline doesn’t look great for you – that’s the answer.

If you are viewing this page on the BBC News app please click here to vote.

Source link

Leave a Comment