Kyren Wilson is straight back on the baize at the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast on Monday barely 14 hours after losing a nail-biting Champion of Champions decider to Ronnie O’Sullivan.

‘The Warrior’ recovered from 5-1 and 8-5 deficits against O’Sullivan in Coventry, winning four frames on the trot to lead the match 9-8.

A composed 61 contribution had Wilson on his way to victory, it seemed, but he missed a red when forced to bridge over the pack, coming up just two pots short of securing victory.

O’Sullivan, with the aid of some good fortune having fluked a snooker on the final red after a missed attempt at a double, levelled matters and got his chance in the decider after Wilson inadvertently potted a red when opening the pack after having potted the black.

‘The Rocket’, runner-up in the previous two Champion of Champions tournaments, took his chance in style with a closing century break to win 10-9.

Wilson admitted the manner of defeat was going to prove tough to swallow.

“It’s hard. He was my hero growing up. I just wanted to make a bit of a fight of it and it was a bit of sickener to lose like that,” said the Kettering potter.

“At the interval, I just thought I want to make a fight of it and have a bit of a close match. In the end it was a sickener to lose like that.”

Wilson is 1.25 to win his first round game in Belfast on Monday, with Lee Walker priced at 3.80 to overturn him.

Beaten in the Dafabet Masters final by Mark Allen, it has been a progressive year for 26-year-old Wilson and O’Sullivan has backed him to land snooker’s biggest prize in the future.

“Kyren will be a World Champion for sure because he has got bottle, he has the right attitude, he loves the game and he is dedicated,” said the five-time Crucible king.