World champion Kyren Wilson has hit out at the World Snooker Tour (WST) after defeat at the British Open, claiming that his status as the most recent Crucible winner isn’t properly recognised.
On his second match of the day, which started well into the evening, Wilson was defeated 4-2 by Elliot Slessor in Cheltenham as his campaign came to an end at the last-16 stage. The world No. 37 set up a mouthwatering clash with John Higgins at Wilson’s expense, before the Kettering potter fumed on social media.
On his Instagram story, Wilson wrote: “Same s*** different day demoted to table 2 again and get found out! What benefits does a world champion get nowadays? Graveyard shift in Brentwood, table 2 in Saudi every game while being the number 1 seed there!
“Table 2 tonight in Cheltenham and being the highest ranked in the session… unfortunately nothing ever changes with the sport I love, if your face doesn’t fit… tough (thumb up emoji).”
The second table at The Centaur in Cheltenham has been widely criticised, with Mark Allen previously calling for it to be “burned” before making a 147 break the following day.
But Wilson’s criticisms extend to more than just his schedule at the British Open, claiming that even on the biggest stage in Saudi Arabia, where £500,000 went to victor Judd Trump, the reigning world champion was overlooked.
The WST have been approached for comment by Express Sport.
Wilson’s comments echo those made by Allen concerning his time spent as No 1. During his 111-day spell perched above all of his peers, the Northern Irish star described those months as “strange” and “a bit disappointing”.
He has since fallen to third, behind runaway leader Trump and Wilson, and felt that similar to the latter – he was often overlooked despite his new title.
“It was strange,” Allen said. “It was extremely underwhelming to achieve a lifetime goal and there wasn’t a lot of coverage with it. There haven’t been any additives from being world No.1. So, it has been a bit disappointing if I’m honest.
“If I was able to get back there and stay for a long time, I’m sure there would be extra benefits that come with it. It has been disappointing to say the least.”
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