World number 15 Kyren Wilson has suffered a shock early exit at the European Masters after going down to Northern Ireland’s Gerard Greene in Belgium on Tuesday. Wilson, who was seeded ninth, was tipped to enjoy a run to the quarter-final stage of the tournament because of the impressive form he has been showing this season.
The Englishman knocked out Mark Williams and Mark Allen en route to the final of the World Open before losing 10-3 to China’s Ding Junhui at the last hurdle in Yushan. He also won gold at the 2017 World Games, reached the last 16 at the Paul Hunter Classic whilst also making the same stage of the Riga Masters at the start of the campaign.
However, the feelgood factor has quickly evaporated after Wilson lost 4-3 to Greene, who is yet to win a tournament after more than 23 years on the tour. The 43-year-old, who has appeared in one final in his career, only made one break over 50, in the first frame, but managed to battle his way into the second round with some good safety play. Greene has now set up a clash against England’s Ben Woollaston after the latter dispatched China’s Zhang Yong 4-0 despite failing to make a break over 50 in the match.
The 30-year-old from Leicester, who is yet to win a professional title, looks in slightly better form than his second-round opponent and it promises to be a close battle. Elsewhere, the 13th seed Martin Gould was knocked out by fellow Englishman Billy Joe Castle while Mark King was on the wrong end of a 4-2 result against China’s Chen Zifan.
Snooker odds available at Dafabet.