Curse bites again as Kyren loses opener

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.

- BY MARK STANIFORTH

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.