Kyren Wilson cut a dejected figure during his UK Championship defeat to Elliot Slessor on Tuesday night, labelling conditions ‘unplayable’ and his cue ‘awful’.
Slessor won the match 6-4 to advance to the last 16 on the Barbican in York, with each players finding playing conditions difficult.
Wilson was especially affected by the situation and appeared to be badly struggling as he sat along with his head in his hands at times.
The Warrior got here into the tournament fiddling with a brand new cue, telling Metro last week: ‘I’m absolutely in love with it. It’s higher than the little bit of wood that I won the World Championship with.’
Nonetheless, that love affair appears to have quickly soured as he vented his frustrations after defeat.
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‘Just guesswork. Table was awful, cue was awful,’ Wilson told the BBC.
‘Just very lost on the minute, to be honest. I mentally gave up as soon as I missed the pink in the primary frame, but tried my hardest. Once you have no idea where the balls are going to go – especially on tight pockets and unplayable conditions – it’s a recipe for disaster.
‘I gave it my all. I wanted the world to swallow me up as soon as I missed the pink in the primary frame. It’s been a nightmare. You’ll be able to’t win matches on this tournament using a cue very first thing this morning.’
He explained: ‘Very first thing this morning I’ve undergone 4 or five suggestions to provide myself a probability. I’m just lost on the minute. Absolutely lost from something that’s totally out of my control.’
Wilson added on TNT Sports: ‘It’s been a nightmare. I’ve had three cues on the go at this tournament alone. Modified to my old one today simply to go on the market and check out a bit bit comfortable. Then as soon as you miss the pink in the primary frame you’re thinking that I don’t even know where to aim anymore. When the conditions are tough as well…’
Issues with the conditions gave the impression to be all the way down to a comparatively old cloth, as this was the ultimate game of the primary round, and punishingly tight pockets.
‘It’s the last of the primary round,’ Wilson explained. ‘The pockets are already tight. I don’t understand why they needed tightening, I get it for China, but here they played nice. Unplayable.
‘I hit a couple of balls I believed were in. Once you’re guessing together with your cue as well, you are feeling as if you’re playing to nothing because there’s nothing to aim at.
‘When the tables are so difficult, I just didn’t need to be on the market, I desired to shake his hand and walk out but people pay good money to observe you play snooker. I battled, gave it my all, but to not be.’
He added: ‘I actually have to obviously congratulate Elliot because he stuck in there and I feel I dragged him down a bit bit. I wish him well for the remainder of the tournament.’
Slessor was in agreement that the sport was especially difficult, telling the BBC: ‘It was very, very tight. That’s the last game of round one so If it’s going to play its worst, it’s going to play its worst in that match.
‘I just found it really tight. I believed the material had minimal grip. Nevertheless it’s had plenty of games on. What are you able to do? You’ve just got to battle. I used to be just battling away.’
Barry Hawkins beat David Lilley on the opposite table within the evening session and was of the identical opinion, saying: ‘Hard. Very hard. Just felt like a battle from start to complete. Just pleased to win ultimately.
‘Perhaps I used to be cueing badly. Obviously it’s had numerous play since Saturday, when the material wears the pockets turn out to be nippier. They were tight today. There was a couple of balls that ought to have gone in but just rattled and stayed there. Not from me, from Dave actually.’
World Snooker Tour responded in an announcement, which read: ‘We at all times welcome feedback from players and encourage them to have interaction with us to make sure that that table conditions are nearly as good as they will be.’
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