Wilson ready to 'strike while iron is hot' as he targets UK glory

Kyren Wilson's best run at the UK Championship was in 2021 when he reached the semi-finals

Kyren Wilson says he wants to "strike while the iron is hot" and follow his world title success with more glory at the UK Championship.

Wilson, 32, suffered a first-round exit to qualifier Jamie Clarke 12 months ago and has only progressed beyond the quarter-finals once in 11 previous appearances at the first Triple Crown event of the campaign.

However, he will get under way at the York Barbican on Monday, having already won two ranking events this term in arguably his best-ever start to a season.

And far from being weighed down by his triumph at the Crucible in May, he appears to be relishing all that goes with being world champion and taking his game up to another level.

"I feel like I am coming to the peak of my powers and starting to play some of my best snooker consistently," said Wilson. "It is coming out on the match table.

"It has been frustrating because it has always been there in practice. It is hard to transfer it over to the match table sometimes because it means so much, but I feel like that is coming now and you are seeing the best version of me.

"So obviously I want to strike while the iron is hot. I love going to tournaments and being introduced as the reigning world champion.

"It is incredible and gives me goosebumps down my back. There is definitely a feelgood factor and I go into my games with a lot more clout now and confidence around me and you do create a little bit of a fear factor around yourself."

Snooker's next great rivals?

Wilson, who won the Xi'an Grand Prix in August, claimed his most recent success at the Northern Ireland Open - with both titles coming at the expense of world number one Judd Trump.

With Trump, Wilson and Mark Allen, having established themselves at the top of the world rankings with all three still in their thirties, it has prompted suggestions that the trio could take over the mantle of the 'Class of 92' and deliver snooker's next great rivalries.

“I feel like I am good friends with them [Trump and Allen] but not to the extent where you want to be too pally, pally, because at the end of the day you want to beat them," Wilson added.

"They are trying to take my living away from me and I am trying to take it from them. It is a good conversation to be part of.

"Us three in particular have been winners of recent years and recent seasons, are in the top three in the rankings at the moment and are of a similar age.

“With the likes of Mark Williams floating about and still winning, and I’m sure Ronnie [O'Sullivan] will come good again and John Higgins got to the final of the British Open, the standard nowadays is incredible with what is being achieved.

"I think for the general public watching it is a great time to be tuning in for snooker."