Kyren Wilson being 'knocked out' by hypnotherapist before World Snooker Championship final
Kyren Wilson booked his spot in the World Snooker Championship final courtesy of a win over David Gilbert.
Kyren Wilson claims that a hypnotherapist has been 'knocking him out' to ensure he gets a good night's sleep during the World Snooker Championship. That attention to detail has paid dividends at this year's tournament, as Wilson is into the second Crucible final of his career.
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Results have been underwhelming for Wilson this season, but the 32-year-old has found form when it truly matters, convincingly dispatching four successive opponents in the pressurised environment of the Crucible.
His latest win came against David Gilbert on Saturday, as Wilson dominated the final session to win 17-11. After the match, the Kettering-born contender shed light on the secret weapon helping him behind the scenes.
"I've had lots of people helping me with a few things mentally, as well as a hypnotherapist called Chris O'Connor," he told the BBC. "It's only something we started just before the World Championship and he's been really helping me with sleep.
"He's just been knocking me out, basically. I slept eight-and-a-half hours last night, so god help me when I get back home and have to deal with the kids."
Wilson breezed past Dominic Dale in the first round, dispensed with Joe O'Connor in the second and put snooker veteran John Higgins to the sword in the quarter-finals with an impressive 13-8 victory.
Either Stuart Bingham or Jak Jones will meet him in the final, with the pair set to finalise their semi-final clash on Saturday evening as Bingham looks to close the gap on the high-flying qualifier.
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Wilson is gearing up for his second appearance in the World Snooker Championship final, having lost a one-sided contest 18-8 against Ronnie O'Sullivan back in 2020.
This time around, Wilson hopes that four more years of experience can work to his advantage. When asked what he learned from the O'Sullivan defeat, he told the BBC: "Don't eat too much pizza and drink too many Peronis the night before.
"I woke up that morning so tired. My fire alarm went off in the hotel at 6am, I'd only had three hours sleep. It's hard enough playing him as it is. I woke up and thought, 'Wow, I've got to go again'. But I know how to handle that a bit better now."
