Gary Wilson says it was a “great experience” playing against Ronnie O’Sullivan at the 2017 World Championship and the 32-year-old is eager to make his second appearance in this year’s edition. Wilson has struggled for form ever since his defeat in the 2015 China Open and in the 18 events that followed over the next two seasons, a run to the fourth round of the 2016 Northern Ireland Open was his best result. However, the Englishman appears to be rediscovering some of his better form and recently made it to the semi-final of the Welsh Open, losing to eventual champion John Higgins. The Wallsend-born star also made it to the quarter-finals of the Paul Hunter Classic earlier in the season and there is a lot of optimism going into the final few events of the campaign.
Next up for Wilson is the Gibraltar Open then the China Open, where he plays Ali Carter, before a hopeful appearance at the 2018 World Championship. Losing to O’Sullivan in round one at the Crucible last year was a big moment for the one-time Challenge Tour winner and he is hungry for the experience again. “I would probably quite stupidly compare it to playing in a working men’s club,” he explained. “There are two tables in quite close proximity and the crowd feel like they’re right on top of you. “It sounds daft, but in many ways meeting Ronnie was the best draw I could have got because I knew I had no option but to play my best to give him a match. It was really exciting to play. It was a great atmosphere and motivates me to get back there.”
Wilson, who is due to play his Gibraltar Open first-round match on Saturday, is 40/1 to win the tournament while China’s Ding Junhui is the 5/1 favourite.