Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Kyren Wilson.Alamy Stock Photo FreeWorld Snooker Championship Crucible Curse continues as Kyren Wilson loses in deciding-frame thriller The defending champion lost 10-9 to China’s world number 39 Lei Peifan. 11.32pm, 19 Apr 2025 Share options KYREN WILSON FELL victim to the ‘Crucible Curse’ as he crashed out in the first round of the World Snooker Championship in a dramatic 10-9 defeat to China’s world number 39 Lei Peifan. Wilson lost seven frames in a row in the course of becoming the 20th first-time Crucible champion to fail to defend his title, and the seventh to fall in the first round the following year. Debutant Lei, one of a record 10 Chinese players in this year’s draw, looked down and out at 6-2 behind but staged a stunning recovery, including a run of six consecutive half-centuries, to move to the brink of victory. The 21-year-old then had to withstand a stirring Wilson comeback before delivering a pressure-filled break of 66 in the decider to send the defending champion tumbling out. Wilson had arrived at the Crucible on the back of a season that yielded four ranking titles and a final appearance at the Masters, and expressed confidence that he would be the man to put the 48-year-old ‘curse’ to bed. Advertisement In Lei he came up against a 21-year-old who clinched a shock ranking title win at the Scottish Open in December, but looked so nervous on the big occasion that he potted the blue from his opening break-off of the match. Wilson helped Lei settle those nerves by missing two early blacks and gifting his opponent a two-frame lead, but the Englishman took full control by winning the next six, including back-to-back breaks of 82 and 136 to establish a commanding advantage. Lei gave himself hope by snatching the last frame of the morning session, and spectacularly increased his momentum upon the evening resumption, as a run of four consecutive half-centuries carried him into a 7-6 lead at the mid-session interval. Wilson got the first chance after the short break but stabbed at a long red on 19 and was punished by his opponent, who responded with a break of 69, including a stunning long green, to move within two frames of an improbable victory. There was still no sign of nerves as Lei pounced on another early Wilson error with a scintillating break of 92, his sixth consecutive half-century, to go 9-6 up. Wilson stopped the rot with a rousing clearance of 106, and two more nerveless clearances of 45 and 60 respectively set up the decider which went the way of the underdog. Elsewhere, three-time world champion Mark Williams withstood a Chinese whirlwind to edge a 5-4 advantage over rising star Wu Yize in a match that will conclude on Sunday. Williams eased into a 3-0 lead only for Wu to reel off the next four frames with a run of 466 unanswered points – only 19 off the tournament record set by John Higgins in 2000. But Williams responded by taking the last two frames of the session, finishing with a break of 78 to re-establish his slender advantage. Another former champion, 2010 winner Neil Robertson, is in real trouble after falling 7-2 behind in his match against qualifier Chris Wakelin. Wakelin opened with a break of 108 and hit four further half-centuries as he threatened to overwhelm the Australian, and after clinching a marathon final frame of the session on the black, the 33-year-old is hot favourite to complete an upset win. China’s 14th seed Xiao Guodong fired two centuries as he established a 7-2 overnight lead against Matthew Selt, while former finalist Barry Hawkins chiselled a 5-4 advantage over Hossein Vafaei. Press Association Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Crucible Curse continues as Kyren Wilson loses in deciding-frame thriller”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Crucible Curse continues as Kyren Wilson loses in deciding-frame thriller”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Kyren Wilson Mark Williams World Snooker Championship News in 60 seconds FreeSignature behaviour Si Woo Kim takes lead at Hilton Head as Lowry bounces back with 67 Shelbourne put seven past Cork City, Athlone battle back to beat Treaty FreeThriller Kerry narrowly hold off Cork heroics to return to Munster final after extra-time battle Freedominance Sheehan runs in hat-trick as Leinster's bench power too much for Ulster FreeJob Done Six Nations: England and France secure wins to set up Grand Slam showdown Freehigh drama Dublin reel off late 1-4 to snatch win from Offaly and get off the mark in Leinster O'Gara's La Rochelle finally snap losing streak Munster left to rue major referee error in narrow Bulls defeat FreeThriller Kerry narrowly hold off Cork heroics to return to Munster final after extra-time battle O'Gara's La Rochelle finally snap losing streak Barca make stunning comeback, Harry Kane set to end trophy wait more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account