The Masters 2023: Stuart Bingham survives fightback from Kyren Wilson to make last-eight

Stuart Bingham held off a fightback from Kyren Wilson to win 6-3 and set up a quarter-final at The Masters with Shaun Murphy.

Bingham threatened a whitewash as he produced some amazing snooker to race into a 5-0 lead.

The 46-year-old made three centuries before Wilson’s revival commenced, kick-started with breaks of 90 and 96.

Bingham recomposed himself, though, to seal the match and can look forward to Friday night’s meeting with Murphy.

Full of confidence, Bingham flew out of the traps with an impressive break of 102 to take the first frame.

Wilson looked to be in business in frame two as he built an 18-point lead before running out of position; Bingham picked up where he left off, making 109 in rapid fashion.

There were early indications that it wasn’t going to be Wilson’s night as he missed a simple green in the third frame. This time Bingham wouldn’t take advantage immediately as a series of mistakes – from both players – followed. But Bingham only required a snooker, which he duly delivered, and Wilson failed to escape, and that was that.

If he was going to make a contest of it, it looked like Wilson desperately needed the next frame – but he did not get it as Bingham conjured up 85 to make it 4-0 at the interval.

Would the 15-minute rest bring a halt to Bingham’s momentum? Initially, it didn’t look likely. In fact, he only grew stronger as he made his highest break of the night – a 127 – to move to within a frame of victory.

And then the game started to turn. Prior to the start of the sixth frame, Wilson’s highest break was an underwhelming 14; but he found confidence from somewhere as he strung together 90 and was unfortunate not to make a century of his own.

Now Wilson had a smile back on his face – and they don’t call him The Warrior for nothing. He continued to threaten a comeback, and although he was again denied a century break, he made 96 and was making a dent in the arrears.

Nerves were beginning to show in Bingham’s game as he contrived to pass up a couple of presentable opportunities in the eighth frame – including a yellow when he looked favourite to take the frame and the match. Wilson swooped in to take a third consecutive frame and apply some real pressure on Bingham.

Even after building a 45-point lead in the ninth frame, Bingham struggled to regain his composure as the misses kept coming. By this stage, however, Wilson was also feeling the heat and a ding-dong encounter was decided when the 2020 champion potted a long yellow to seal the victory.

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