Kyren Wilson has admitted he found Stan Moody a 'very difficult' opponent after mounting a sensational comeback to beat the 19-year-old at the World Snooker Championship on Monday.
Wilson found himself 7-3 down but rallied to secure a 10-7 victory, setting up a clash with Mark Allen later in the week.
Moody performed well on his Crucible debut but, ultimately, fell short against his experienced rival.
And Wilson, speaking after his win, admitted that he'd been hoping for Moody's levels to dip following his sluggish start.
“It was very difficult. Every credit to Stan," he said.
“The way he started this morning was very, very impressive. At the tender age of 19, I think he is going to have a lot to say going forward.”
“I’m sure he will learn from that experience. As for myself, I won one or two huge frames.
Kyren Wilson celebrates his win over Stan Moody at the 2026 World Snooker Championship
|PA
“The clearance to then win the respotted black and needing three snookers to change going 8-6 down to 7-7 [were important].
“They are big swings in momentum. I just dug in there, kept going back to the well, and just applying myself in the right way.
“I knew, going back to my debut, that I started like a train and felt amazing with the adrenaline pumping.
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Wilson is defending the ranking points he secured by winning the World Championship two years ago.
Due to £500,000 being set to come off his rolling two-year total, the world number two needs a deep run at the tournament.
He added: “I don’t really look at the rankings too much.
“I think as long as you’re in that top bracket, where I feel like I belong, then I don’t think it matters too much.”
“[That’s] unless you’re chasing the number one spot. With the £500,000 coming off, it’d just be a case that I’m getting further away from being world number one.
“That’s where I want to be. That’s what I want to chase down, so in terms of that, it’s maybe on my mind.
“But in terms of it coming off and me falling down, I don’t really care. I’m here to win a World Championship, and if I win it, I don’t have to worry about all that.”
Moody, meanwhile, was left to rue what could have been.
“I just lost too many bad frames," said the 19-year-old. "I had the match won at 7-3.
“I missed the red to go 8-3, and it just turned around. I then lost the frame where he needed three snookers. I’m gutted.
“I felt comfortable out there. But if you lose frames like that, it hurts. I’ll go away, practice, and come back stronger."