Warrior Wilson is making UK Championship progress

‘The Warrior’ found himself 5-2 up on the baize in York thanks to three half-century breaks in the first seven frames, but an effort of 53 helped the Chinese potter get back to 5-4.

Only for the Kettering cueman to show his class, clinch the tenth frame and book a place in the last 32.

And the 25-year-old knows he was in a real contest against the 53rd seed but was relieved to get over the line at the Barbican.

He said: “It was real battle. Until the interval we were scoring pretty heavily but after 5-2 I thought I was going to run away with it. I couldn’t believe that I went to 5-3 and to 5-4. He cleared up really well. But I dug in and managed to get over the line.

“I suppose I’m kind of living up to my nickname the Warrior. You’ve got to dig in. It’s not always fast-flowing snooker and sometimes you have to battle.

“I didn’t play very well. I played very well in my first match and I’m ticking along nicely and it’s what you have to do at these events.”

With the likes of Mark Selby and Ding Junhui crashing out of the competition early, the tournament could open up for the English Open runner-up.

But Wilson isn’t getting ahead of himself and knows every match will be tricky, starting with a third-round clash against Ricky Walden.

“It’s very cut-throat nowadays, even in round one. From dominating to being almost level in this match,” he said.

“I cannot get ahead of myself. The players who have beaten the top seeds are playing very well. They’re all tough games and you cannot take anything for granted.

“Ricky is a very good player. He’s been there and done that before.”

Watch LIVE coverage of the UK Championship on Eurosport and Eurosport Player with Colin Murray and analysis from Jimmy White and Neal Foulds