Kyren Wilson was in a positive mood again after an opening win at the Scottish Open, bouncing back from a nightmare trip to the UK Championship earlier this month.
The Warrior was beaten in the first round in York by Elliot Slessor and went through a gruelling experience at the Barbican.
The world number two changed cues multiple times in the build up to the UK Championship and even the day before his match, then looked seriously upset through the game as he struggled to play his best.
He spoke out about his cue issues and feeling like he was close to a ‘mental breakdown’ during the 6-4 defeat in York.
Wilson was back on the baize on Tuesday night in Edinburgh and secured a comfortable 4-1 win over Gao Yang, feeling much better about another new cue and himself.
‘I needed a bit of a confidence booster I think. He was quite nervous and I needed that as a little bit of a boost,’ the 2024 world champion told WST.
‘I’m using a new cue which I picked up last Sunday. I’ve had just over a week with it and I trust it. I feel really good with it, very confident.
‘Obviously practice and match conditions are two very different things, so I feel like the Scottish, although I love it, is a bit of a sparring session for me to warm into it. Good times are ahead, I think.
‘It was well documented what happened in the UK Championship. I went through about four cues and changed my cue the night before my game. You have no chance doing that, unfortunately I had no choice.
‘For the first time in three or four months I’ve practised with the same cue for a week and gone into a tournament with that same cue, with no hassle and no worries. Hopefully that is a sign of good things to come.’
Wilson’s comments were concerning at the UK Championship, saying in a post-match press conference: ‘If I’m totally honest with you, you were very close to seeing someone have a mental breakdown out there. If I’m totally honest with you. Didn’t want to go out, didn’t want to play.’
A couple of weeks away from tournaments have helped his mindset and some Christmas cheer has helped him out.
‘It was good for me. I went home, had a lot of family time,’ he said. ‘It’s always good to step away from the game, have a bit of time with the kids and wife, see some friends, we’ve been on a few Christmas nights out.
‘Like I say, I can now just trust a cue and feel comfortable with it. It allows you to go and enjoy your life away from the game. That’s very important for me.’
Next up for the Warrior is another Chinese talent, Pang Junxu, who he plays on Wednesday night in the last 32.
Highlights of the second round on Wednesday include Mark Selby taking on Hossein Vafaei, Shaun Murphy playing Stuart Bingham and world champion Zhao Xintong meeting Joe O’Connor.
Scottish Open last 32
10am
Wu Yize v Lan Yuhao
Lei Peifan v Yuan Sijun
1pm
Matthew Selt v He Guoqiang
Mark Selby v Hossein Vafaei
John Higgins v Noppon Saengkham
Eliott Slessor v Zak Surety
Not before 2pm
Anthony McGill v Wakelin / Lines
Zhang Anda v Matthew Stevens
Wang Yuchen v Mark Allen
Si Jiahui v Chang Bingyu
7pm
Zhao Xintong v Joe O’Connor
Jiang Jun v David Gilbert
Zhou Yuelong v Xiao Guodong
Ben Mertens v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Not before 8pm
Stuart Bingham v Shaun Murphy
Pang Junxu v Kyren Wilson