KYREN WILSON has warned cueing rival Judd Trump he is after his status as snooker’s world no.1 – and he could take a significant step towards that goal this week.
The Warrior, 33, has jetted into Jeddah with serious intentions of landing the £500,000 jackpot on offer at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
Kyren Wilson is chasing down the world No.1 spotShutterstock Editorial
Judd Trump has a huge £679,900 lead at the topPA
Should he achieve that, then he will close the £679,900 gap between him and defending champion and current world leader Trump.
Though he cannot overtake the Juddernaut just yet, results at this desert-based tournament could swing matters considerably in his favour, especially if the pair were to meet in the final.
Come the end of the year, the Kettering cueist – who became a maiden world champion in May 2024 – could become top potter for the first time in his career.
Only 12 men in history since the rankings began 50 years ago have held such a lofty position in the sport.
Wilson – who banked £210,000 for his season-opening Shanghai Masters success – will be parachuted into the fifth round of the Saudi event on Tuesday alongside the rest of the top-16 stars.
He told SunSport: “For me, definitely it’s a target.
“I have always said if you win the world championship then within the next two years, you give yourself a shot of becoming world number one.
“Judd just threw a spanner in the works there by winning last year’s Saudi.
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“But that is just testament to what a great champion he is and why he has been world No.1 for so many years now.
“I just love that I am in the mix, that’s the most important thing. And when you are competing and winning titles, you will be in with a shout at some point.
“I have kind of taken my success for granted a little bit.
“Not in a bad way but you go from tournament to tournament, week upon week, you almost forget what you have done.
“I won in Shanghai but you have to go again. I’d definitely rather go to Saudi off the back of winning an event, that’s for sure.
“There is an opportunity every single week more or less nowadays.
“Everyone has got to deal with it, it’s about having that hunger and desire to keep winning.
“You tend to think: ‘Right, I have done that one, and it’s on to the next.’ But it’s nice to sit back sometimes and reflect.”
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