Scottish Open 2023: Gary Wilson holds firm to beat Noppon Saengkham and defend Stephen Hendry Trophy
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ByEurosport
Updated 18/12/2023 at 06:16 GMT
Gary Wilson produced a power-packed display to dominate the opening session of the Scottish Open final with Noppon Saengkham and he built on it at the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh on Sunday evening to wrap up victory and successfully defend the Stephen Hendry Trophy. Wilson's form had been poor leading into the tournament, but he improved as the week went on and was a deserved winner.
‘Rules the roost in Edinburgh’ - Wilson clinches victory over Noppon in Scottish Open final
Gary Wilson built on his superb play in the afternoon session to complete a 9-5 victory over Noppon Saengkham and defend his Scottish Open crown.
After winning the Scottish Open 12 months ago, Wilson went missing and delivered a raft of below-par performances to slip down the rankings - he started the week in 60th on the one-year list.
He arrived in Edinburgh for the defence of his title concerned about his form - and talked about battling with the yips - but there is something about the Meadowbank Sports Centre that seems to suit Wilson as his form improved as the week progressed.
He powered into a 6-2 lead after the opening session of Sunday’s final - it would have been 7-1 but for a surprise missed red in the final frame.
Wilson could have stewed over the missed red for a few hours. If he did, it did not show as he knocked in a glorious long red to get underway in the opening frame of the evening and raced through a break of 81 to extend his lead to five frames.
Noppon did little wrong in the afternoon session, and he showed he was still in good touch by racing through his eighth century of the week - a 132 - to take the 10th frame.
The only option for Noppon was to come out and play aggressively. He followed up his century in the 10th with a break of 97 to give Wilson something to think about for the first time in the final.
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A missed red to the middle at the start of the 12th suggested Wilson was feeling the nerves, but Noppon handed back the table moments later.
Wilson knocked in an excellent plant with distance between two reds, and he picked off an excellent break of 51 to split the mini-session, restore his four-frame lead and move within one of the title.
The frame upon the resumption saw both players get in on a couple of occasions only to run out of position and make questionable shot selections to suggest the tension was rising.
The 13th boiled down to a battle on the colours, and it turned Noppon’s way when he laid a devilish snooker behind the blue. Wilson failed to make the escape, left a free ball the second time, and his opponent converted to keep the match alive.
Wilson could have been unsettled by passing up a couple of chances in the 13th, but he shrugged it off by knocking in a fine long red to open the 14th.
He made 31 before running for cover, only to leave Noppon a long red which he knocked in. Wilson looked a little uncomfortable in his seat, but he leapt out of it when Noppon missed a red to left middle.
On this occasion, Wilson held his nerve as a break of 53 ensured he joined elite company of Judd Trump, Mark Selby and Mark Allen in defending a Home Nations title.
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Wilson well clear after first session of final
Noppon Saenghkam trailed Gary Wilson 6-2 in the final of the Scottish Open as the reigning champion looked dominant ahead of the evening session.
Noppon had impressed on his way to the final as he beat John Higgins in the semi-finals. Wilson had been in erratic form for much of the tournament as he looked to defend his title, biting his cue in frustration, roughly handling his extension, and betraying his emotions.
He had also spoken openly about struggles with the “yips” even as he won every match along the way in Edinburgh.
Wilson seemed unaffected in the opening frame, though, with a fluid 90 seeing him take the frame, and an excellent long pot helped him kick off the second as he built a break of 62. When Noppon came back to the table, he could not score another point before Wilson returned to wrap things up.
In the third frame, just four behind, Noppon missed a routine red to the top-right as he looked to finally get some points on the board and gave Wilson the chance to move 46-0 up, before getting another chance and putting the frame beyond the Thai competitor.
In the fourth frame, the pressure was on Noppon to get on the scoreboard, and grab a frame before the mid-session interval. He was at last able to battle through 69-7 to give himself a boost ahead of the remaining period.
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Only a miss on a long red stopped Wilson from reaching a century for the first time in the match, cutting short his 79 break from a difficult spread of balls after the restart, and he re-established his three-frame lead.
The following frame there were no such problems as he swatted aside both his rival, and an insect interloper, as he pulled further away.
There was a second potential century on the cards but Wilson fell short with an effort of 78 that extended his lead further, and the pressure was on Noppon to prolong the match going into the second session this evening.
He threatened to do just that with a break of 30 before he needed the rest to reach over the bunched reds, but rattled the corners of the bottom-right pocket and allowed WIlson back in to reach 61.
Noppon was then gifted the chance to snatch the frame back when Wilson failed to sink a red into the middle-left.
Noppon cleared the remaining balls to land on the blue, before moving the ball accurately up to the pink, high up the table, and completing the comeback to win the final frame 73-61.
At 6-2, Noppon gave himself just a sniff of staying alive when the pair returned in the evening.
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