Shock as defending snooker Players Championship king misses out on Telford qualification
Defending snooker Players Championship champion Kyren Wilson will miss out on defending his crown in Telford having failed to qualify.
The tournament will take place at Telford's International Centre this month between February 17 and 22 and is one of leading events on the calendar, consisting of the top 16 ranked players from this season.
Wilson had hoped to defend the crown he won by beating rival and world number one Judd Trump in a 10-9 thriller in Shropshire last March.
But the Kettering cueist, who won the high-profile Masters title last month, has missed out on the top 16.
A disappointing 5-2 last 32 defeat against China's Xiao Guodong in the World Grand Prix, held in Hong Kong, on Tuesday ended Wilson's hopes of being able to seal a top 16 spot.
Wilson, 34, has struggled in ranking events this season despite impressive success in two significant invitations events - the Masters and the Shanghai Masters - which do not carry ranking points.
A run to the quarter-final in the German Masters last week helped the 2024 world champion to 18th in the one-year rankings, but world number two Wilson required a run to at least the semi-final in Hong Kong to seal his position in Telford.
Others set to miss out on the Players Championship as things stand are world champion Zhao Xintong, Ding Junhui and Ali Carter.
Wilson was left unhappy with the scheduling. He said: “I feel bad for this tournament, to be honest. I think the Hong Kong World Grand Prix deserves to be better. Straight from Germany, it’s very, very difficult to arrive here.
“One or two days’ practice and sleep, and then try to perform in such a fantastic event. I find it a little bit disheartening."
It is the third year running the event is being held at the Telford International Centre since its return to the town in 2024.
