Kyren Wilson claims another big title on the World Snooker Tour with Shanghai Masters win

It is Wilson’s second Shanghai Masters crown, coming nearly a decade on from his big career breakthrough in the Chinese city when he won his maiden title on snooker’s top flight as a qualifier ranked 54th in the world at the time.

Nowadays, things are very different for Wilson, with winning accolades becoming a habit for the world number two and former world champion. This latest trophy lift represents his sixth title on the World Snooker Tour within the past 15 months, and he is arguably the best player on the planet right now.

Wilson enjoyed a fantastic campaign last season whilst wearing the world crown for the first time. He won four ranking events - Xi’an Grand Prix, Northern Ireland Open, German Masters, Players Championship - defeating world number one Judd Trump in three of those finals.

He also made the finals of the Masters and Championship League Invitational, although his term ended on a sour note as he fell victim to the ‘Crucible Curse’ when bowing out to qualifier Lei Peifan on the opening day of the televised stages of the 2025 World Championship.

However, Wilson has bounced back in style this week in the Far East, having eliminated Si Jiahui (6-5), Ronnie O’Sullivan (6-3), and newly-minted World Champion Zhao Xintong (10-5) before facing Carter in Sunday’s two-session title match.

World number 17 Carter wasn’t meant to be at this year’s edition having missed the cut by a single place, but due to Mark Allen’s withdrawal because of family/personal reasons, he was called-up as first reserve.

Winner of this title in 2010 (when it was a ranking event), Carter’s route to the final was even more extraordinary having come back from 5-2 deficits in consecutive days to Mark Williams and then Xiao Guodong to record 6-5 victories. In the semi-finals, he again won the final four frames of a match, this time denying Mark Selby, 10-8.

Aiming to win what would have been the biggest title of his 25-year-plus professional career, Carter took the opening frame but Wilson deposited the next two - highlighted by a 129 break - to go in front.

Carter chalked up frames either side of the first mid-session interval to move 3-2 up, but a three-frame winning streak from Wilson put multiple frames between the two finalists for the first time. However, Carter restored parity as the afternoon session ended all square at 5-5.

On resumption a few hours later for the concluding session, the theme of blocks of frames being traded between the two Englishman continued. Wilson (105 break) went 7-5 up, but Carter followed suit with back-to-back frames for 7-7.

After their final break, the process repeated and the pendulum carried on swinging; Wilson (122 break) made it 9-7 before comeback kid Carter levelled at 9-9 - fashioning the highest contribution of the final with a 140 in frame 17.

An effort of 86 in frame 19 helped Wilson edge back in front, but this time reach the hill at 10-9 up.

More twists and turns arrived in a dramatic frame 20. Wilson got in first and looked set to at least score a useful load of points, but after failing to get ideal position on a colour, he missed a very tricky brown with the cueball near a side cushion.

Carter managed to get in front, and after Wilson unexpectedly missed a red along the top cushion later in the frame, he got to within a ball of leaving his opponent needing penalty points.

However, when Carter was unable to get good position on the final red and missed a speculative pot with safety, Wilson impressively dropped in the red from distance, potted a pressure brown, and coolly cleared the colours to pinch the frame by a single point for the title.

Next up for Wilson, Carter, and the World Snooker Tour is the 2025 Saudi Arabia Masters - snooker’s ‘fourth major’ with a £500,000 winner’s pot - which starts on Friday at the Green Halls in Jeddah.

Please visit our 2025 Shanghai Masters tournament information page here for the draw, results, format, match schedule, how to watch details and prize money payouts.