Worlds beckon with Kyren now in the top 10

Kyren Wilson heads into the Betfred World Championship at the Crucible having climbed up to number nine in the rankings

The Kettering snooker sensation has enjoyed another superb season, with the highlight so far being his superb run in the Dafabet Masters before he was beaten by Mark Allen in the final in January.The 26-year-old’s rise up the rankings has also continued and he will go into the Crucible as one of the top 10 players in the world having risen to number nine following his run to the semi-finals of the recent China Open.Wilson gets his World Championship under way in Sheffield on Saturday afternoon when he takes on former Masters champion Matthew Stevens before the first-round match is played to a finish on Sunday night.And he will be going in as one for everyone to keep their eye on.“I always try to set some achievable goals for myself,” he said.“I was at number 14 or 15 when the season started and it was a personal goal of mine to be in the top 10.“So, as far as a personal achievement goes, that’s a good one to have done and I feel I have had a very good season.“I have scored very heavily and I have had over 40 centuries and that’s the first time I have done that.”Wilson heads into the Crucible having enjoyed an impressive run to the semi-finals in the China Open.Wilson claimed wins over Andrew Higginson (6-3) and Mark King (6-4) before ending the hopes of home favourite and world number three Ding Junhui with a 6-5 victory in the last 16.His quarter-final also went to the final frame as he fought back from 4-0 down to eventually beat Jack Lisowski.That set up a last-four showdown with world number one Mark Selby and Wilson fell 5-1 behind and was unable to claw it back as he eventually lost out 10-8.Nonetheless, the fine run has left the Kettering potter in confident mood for the Worlds.“It was disappointing to lose to Mark,” he added.“I just kept getting off to a slow start and if it wasn’t for that, I think it could have been different in the semi-final.“But it was a good week out there. I beat some very good players along the way and my confidence is high going into the Crucible.”Raunds’ Harvey Chandler, who will enter the World Tour from next season, missed out on a place at the Crucible after he was beaten 10-6 by Oliver Lines in the first round of the World Championship Qualifiers.Chandler knocked in top breaks of 99, 79 and 56 but was unable to clinch victory.