Yahoo Sports Wilson sweeps past Maguire to move into round two
Reigning world champion Kyren Wilson moved into the second round of the UK Championship with a convincing 6-0 victory against former winner Stephen Maguire.
Both players were struggling for form on table one, with Wilson's break of 71 in the fifth frame the first half-century of the match.
He then followed that up by winning the sixth frame, helped by a run of 86, as Maguire, the 2004 champion, suffered a tame exit from the tournament.
Wilson's victory comes after four of the 16 seeded players were eliminated from the tournament on the opening two days, including top seed and 2023 champion Ronnie O'Sullivan and fifth seed Mark Selby.
But Wilson, ranked second in the world, moved into the last 16 with ease to set up a match against either 15th seed Chris Wakelin, who defeated former UK quarter-finalist Matthew Selt 6-4.
'It felt like my head was going to explode'
In the opening frames, Wilson appeared to be struggling and he later revealed he had woken up with a migraine.
"In the first frame I led by 60 and Stephen could tie the frame and as I went back to my seat I felt a pulsation and it was really strong around the top of my head," said Wilson.
"It felt like my head was going to explode. It was something I had to overcome and thankfully my brother got me some headache tablets and I was able to get it under control."
For Wilson, this was his first match at a Triple Crown event since his success at the Crucible in May and he admitted being introduced as the world champion and the crowd's reaction gave him "goosebumps".
"I've been dreaming of being world champion since I was six," he added. "Since lifting that silver lady [on the top of the trophy] I've made an effort to not only enjoy it but also use it as a catalyst to really kickstart my career.
"The BBC events have that little bit of excitement factor and this is the first one since becoming world champion. It was an amazing entry into the arena and I really enjoyed it."
Meanwhile, 43-year-old Scotsman Maguire, ranked 33rd in the world, was left wondering his next moves after the defeat.
"I either think of what I'm doing in this game or I push forwards and do some hard graft," he said. "Everything is a bit of a blur from the second frame onwards. That was poor, there's no other words.
"I still despise getting beaten, but I also despise playing like that. There's getting beaten and there's not showing up. For me to enjoy it, I need to play well and be competitive. I will just go back to the practice table and do work.
"I was nervous, and mad at myself for being nervous."
Holt reaches last 16 for first time in 25 years
Michael Holt, who dropped off the World Snooker Tour between 2022 and 2024, stunned 10th seed Gary Wilson to move into the last 16 of the UK Championship for the first time since 1999.
Holt, 46, topped the Q Tour standings last season to earn his place back on the tour, is ranked 98th in the world and had to fight through four qualifying rounds.
He and Wilson shared the opening two frames, before Holt edged the third on the black. Breaks of 69 and 95 took Holt one away from victory and he looked on course - only to snooker himself after potting the brown with three balls remaining.
But Wilson could not capitalise on the chances as Holt potted a long-range pink to secure a superb victory. Holt will now play 2024 world runner-up Jak Jones, who defeated 2023 Crucible champion Luca Brecel.
"This time last year I was getting ready to go to Q Tour 5 in Brighton, which I won, and now a year later I'm in the last 16 of the UK Championship so that's something I'm really pleased with," said Holt.
"My game is there, it has always been there, I just have to let it out. To be in this arena, I loved it. The crowd were great and this is a brilliant tournament."
On dropping off the tour in 2022, he added: "You always believe [you can get back] but you never know what's going to happen. Being off the tour did hurt but it was one of the best things to happen to me.
"I've always appreciated it [being a professional] and you realise you are privileged. I dropped off the tour and the world kept turning. The way I got back on was a confidence boost. I'm enjoying it - the nerves are always there."
Brecel, seeded seventh, became the sixth seed to lose in three days. He was 42-0 ahead in the deciding frame, only for Jones to make a 66 break to snatch a 6-5 victory after he had been 5-3 down.
"I thought I'd played pretty decently from 5-3 down," said Jones. "You always want to do well in the biggest tournaments and this is the second-biggest tournament on the tour and I felt good towards the end."
'Another box ticked in my career'
In the other match in the afternoon session, Wakelin was 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3 behind, but won the final three frames to defeat a dogged Selt and move into the last 16 for the first time.
"It was a tough one, really tough," said Wakelin. "I was never in front and managed to steal the ninth frame to go 5-4. Matt didn't have much left towards the end so I knew if I could hold myself together I could get over the line.
"I'd never won a match at a BBC event and I've been on tour for 12 years so that's another box ticked in my career. I'm so proud of what I've managed to achieve. I feel I can win any tournament I play in."
On his last-16 match with Wilson, Wakelin added: "We've practiced together for 10-12 years. I beat him maybe six out of 10 times in practise. He has been improving so much over the last year and so have I."
