With Bingham knocking out Wilson, the seeds kept 'running into an iron wheel'
Eight matches have ended at the World Championships, with five of the top 16 seeds already eliminated, with Gary Wilson having just been eliminated after losing 5-10 to Bingham.
Bingham, the 2015 world champion, has slipped to 29th in the world rankings, but he beat Carrington and Heathcote 10-9 and 10-8 in qualifying to head to Crucible in a strong momentum. World No. 10 Wilson and Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, Anda Zhang and Carter all made it to the first round. The record for the most first-round losses by a seeded player is eight set in 1980 and is equal in 1992 and 2012, and that embarrassing record could be threatened in the coming days.
Bingham, making his 16th appearance for Sheffield, has been in excellent form in recent years, reaching the semi-finals in 2021 and reaching the last eight in 2022. The 47-year-old will face the winner between Ding Junhui and the driver in the second round.
While Bingham led 6-3 at the end of the first period, he may have been plagued by an unexpected mistake when it looked like he was going to be 7-2 ahead. When Wilson scored 86 and 57 in the first two innings of the evening, Bingham must have feared that moment would haunt him again. But he regained the initiative in the 12th inning. In the 13th game, Wilson left a blue ball not far from his pocket when he scored 34 to give Bingham a chance. The latter took advantage of the situation to clean up the mess and contributed 66 points in a single stroke to punish him 8-5.
In the 14th game, another unforced error caused Wilson to lose a lot, he attacked the top bag red ball in the upper right corner when he scored 24 but the cue ball accidentally fell into the middle pocket, Bingham took over and returned to the advantage of 55 points in a single stroke. Six-time ranking champion Bingham then dominated the 15th game to secure the win.
Bingham said: "There weren't a lot of flashes in the game, but when Gary missed a chance, I punished him. I'm still working on my game, but I feel good sometimes. ”
"When I lost the black ball towards the end of the first period, I named myself. I was carried away by the win, and until then, it was a good clearance and I kept thinking that it should be 7-2. Then in the evening, when the score became 6-5, I wondered how the score was reversed. But I kept my cool, kept hitting the ball hard and started winning again. ”
Wilson often spoke of his technical flaws, saying: "All the credit goes to Bingham because he deserved to win. I felt very bored and my game was terrible. It was the best fight in the world, but I wasn't ready to fight and I was embarrassed. I'm tired of going through this because I know I'm not playing well enough. My body doesn't make me play the right shot or hit the ball the way I want to. ”
"I've won two titles this season, but I've barely made it, sometimes playing well, but then I've started struggling again. It's not how I want to win championships, I just want to prove that I can be one of the best. I may have done well in the game and made money, but I was torturing myself. I don't think I'll ever be comfortable playing this kind of game. I probably have to accept this, it sounds painful all the time!"
At the next table, China's Pang Junxu led Milkins 5-4. Pang Junxu opened the game with a 57 to take a 3-0 lead, and then Milkins scored 83 and 91 points in a single stroke to win three of the next four games. Pang Junxu replied with a single shot of 42 points to clear the stage and win the eighth game, but the No. 16 seed Milkins controlled the final game to chase the score. They will continue the game in the second stage, with the winner facing Gilbert in the second round. (Welcome to click to pay attention to moisturizing AB, please indicate the source for reprinting, thank you)