Kyren Wilson is an English snooker star who has four major ranking titles to his name. He first made his highlight after he won the 2015 Shanghai Masters.
The Warrior recently came into highlights after putting up an incredible performance against “The Rocket” Ronnie O’Sullivan in the 2020 World Championship.
Kyren Wilson’s talent amazed his parents when he spurred Peter Ebdon in a game of pool when he was only six years old.
Wilson has won millions in prize money. He is a successful young player in the snooker world, but behind the success is always a story of struggle.
There was a time when he did not even qualify for the ranking events because of his poor performance.
For two seasons, he only played the PTC events. How did he rise from the fall? Who inspired him? What was his childhood like?
Read the article as we answer all these questions. Let’s jump right into it with some quick facts.
Kyren Wilson | Quick Facts
| Full Name | Kyren Wilson |
| Birth Date | 23rd December 1991 |
| Birth Place | Northamptonshire, Kettering, England |
| Current Residence | Kettering, England |
| Nick Name | The Warrior |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | English |
| Famous for being | Snooker Player |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Education | N/A |
| Horoscope | Capricon |
| Father’s Name | Rob Wilson |
| Mother’s Name | Sonya Wilson |
| Siblings | One younger brother (Taylor Wilson) |
| Age | 30 years old |
| Height | N/A |
| Weight | N/A |
| Hair Color | Blonde |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Build | Average |
| Hobbies | N/A |
| Favorite Destination | N/A |
| Profession | Pro Snooker Player |
| Marital Status | Married to Sophie Wilson |
| Kids | Two sons (Finely and Bailey) |
| Net Worth | $2,500,000 |
| Merch | T-shirt, Snooker Cue, Snooker Cue Sticks |
| Last Updated | July, 2022 |
Kyren Wilson | Early Days & Life
The Warrior was born on the 23rd of December, 1991. He was born in Kettering, England, to his father, Rob Wilson, and his mother, Sonya Wilson.
He grew up in Kettering along with this brother Taylor Wilson. Kyren’s first involvement with the pool dates back to when he was two, barely years old. Apparently, his godparents gave him a golf set but did not show him how to play it.
His instincts kicked in; he set the balls down on the footstool, turned the golf club around, and started cueing.
Growing up, Kyren used to practice with peter Ebdon. Peter owned an academy back when Kyren was 11-ish years old, roughly 10 miles distant from Kyren’s house.
Kyren used to attend to summer schools there or a whole day now and again. He made his hungry mum wait lengthy hours in the academy as he couldn’t get over playing with Peter.
Humble Beginning
Kyren participated in a lot of amateur and junior contests during his life. When he had to stay overnight at a hotel for a competition tomorrow morning, he did not bother staying in a hotel and arrived the location the following day as soon as possible.
The reason to do so was that his parents could not afford him a stay at a motel. They were a one-salary household. Since they could not afford a lodging, his mother took him to the stadium on the day of the event.
Kyren used to see posts on Facebook of the other competitors enjoying their stay at the hotel, and he used to tell his mum about it. His mum used to respond,
“When you get to the finals, 7 o’clock on the next night, you’ll just be thinking you’ve have to work that much harder it.”
His mum believes that his original employment molded the way he is now. His hard-working nature and persistence are all attributable to his poor roots.
Kyren Wilson | Before Big Matches
As mentioned by his wife Sophie, Kyren prefers to stay in a rigid regimen before his big day comes. He likes to drink tea at a planned time, he likes to sleep at the scheduled time, and he becomes a different man.
His wife remarked that Kyren becomes a different self than he typically is, “he is not shut off in a manner, but he is in the zone already. He is, you know, Snooker Kyren, and everything’s got to be at the same time”.
Kyren Wilson Wife, Kids, and Family\sMarriage and Kids
Kyren Wilson has been married to his long-time companion since 2016. The two exchanged their sacred vows on the 5th of June, 2016, seven years after they met.
The two had intended to get married in September of 2015 but had to postpone it following the birth of their first child.
Following that, they named their first son Finely Wilson. Their second son, Bailey Wilson, shortly followed up on the 8th of September, 2017.
Sophie Lauren and Kyren Wilson met one other in 2009 and soon liked each other; they started dating each other the same year.
Ever since that meet-up, they have not been apart. They have two kids together and show no symptoms of fissures in their marriage relationship.
Moreover, he also teaches his kids how to play their won little pool/snooker set. During his free time, he instructs his two sons to hold the stick properly and where to hit the cue ball.
Wife and Family
In an interview with Euro sports in 2016, Kyren remarked, and we quote, “I was a young boy two years ago, but since then, I’ve evolved into a man. I’ve got a one-year-old son, and I’m getting married in June.”
He often appreciates his wife’s abilities to handle his family while he is gone for the tournaments, and thus he makes sure that she feels special. Following that notion, he brought his wife a Range Rover for their 4th anniversary.
Moreover, besides looking after the family, his wife also manages Soph & Co, a baby clothing company.
He further touched on his parenthood, adding that he is somewhat of a part-time father as he has to travel a lot for the events he performs in.
Kyren derives a lot of motivation from his dad, who kept strong despite having multiple sclerosis, which his father had experienced for most of his adult life.
At the time, he used to look for his father among the crowd to gain the encouragement he needed to play magnificently.
Kyren Wilson | Career
Wilson began his amateur career from the 2009/10 season. His performance that season wasn’t great, as you’d expect from an amateur, but it was respectable, anyway.
Kyren won the 6th event and got 2nd in the 3rd event of the International Open Series. He was ranked fifth in the total performance.
The English player’s respectable performance earned him a shot in the 2010/11 professional Main Tour.
Professional Debut
Kyren played his maiden UK Championship in the 2010/11 season along with his first World Championship. In the UK, he defeated the likes of McCulloch and Paul Davidson but lost the next round to Rory McLeod.
Likewise, at the World Championship, he was once again defeated by Rory on the same stage. He defeated Joe Swail and Dermot McGlinchey before facing Rory.
Things were not going well for the just-turned-professional footballer. He finished the season ranking 72nd in the world. Only the players within the top 64th were eligible for qualifying for the following ranking events.
In a desperate bid for a comeback, he joined the Qualifying School, but he did not qualify for the ranking tournaments despite good performance.
Kyren was an amateur player; he dropped off the snooker tour but played all 12 of PTC’s (Players Tour Championship) events. His performance ranked him 72nd on the PTC Order of Merit.
After that, the English snooker player did not have any other alternative than to join the Qualifying School once more but this time he only won one tournament out of three.
In his 2012/13 season, he played the PTC events as he couldn’t qualify for the ranking events. He had a good showing in the Kay Suzanne Memorial Trophy, defeating Tom Ford, Stephen Maguire, and Jamie Jones.
Return to the ranking events
His 75th position in the PTC Order of Merit guaranteed him a chance at ranking tournaments in the next season. Kyren played in the Shangai Masters, International Championship, China Open, and the World Championship in the 2013/14 season. He won a total of four matches in the SHnagai Mastera event.
Kyren overcame Marcus Campbell in the qualifying round and reached the main stage of a ranking event for the first time.
Later, he faced Stuart Bingham; he missed making the highest possible break but won the match. Following that, he faced Marco Fu and won against him too but lost in the quarterfinals against Michael Holt.
Kyren’s World Championship performance that season was outstanding. He started the event by defeating Chris Norbury, followed by Alfie Burden and Rod Lawler.
Following that, he faced Graeme Dott and won over him, too, marking the qualifying stage’s ending. In the opening round of the event, he met Ricky Walden, which would be his end for the tournament.
Despite scoring two century in the match, he conceded to Ricky with a 10-7 score.
Kyren Wilson was in tears after winning the World Championship semi-finals
Usually, athletes and players cry tears of delight following a success. But Kyren, on the other hand, sobbed tears of agony as he defeated Anthony McGill in the 2020 World Snooker Championship.
Anthony overturns the 14-11 score in Kyren’s favor to 16-15 in his favor. The Warrior missed the green ball, and Anthony won his third frame. Anthony had won the previous two frames before that.
Despite being dominated in the waning stages of the match, Kyren could somehow stretch the game to the final frame. Kyren won the match with a spectacular green pot clinch.
The aftermath of victory
After an hour-long, intense, and dramatic final frame, the English man, prevailed over Anthony, securing his maiden finals participation in the World Championship finals.
“I had dreamt of this moment, but I didn’t want to arrive here like way,” stated Wilson remorsefully.
Anthony had failed snooker eight times in a row until Kyren fluked a green to seal the deal in the final frame. Of course, snooker fans went berserk, Anthony had such a magnificent play throughout the game, but he did not win.
The fans stated that it was the ridiculous final frame in the history of snooker.
“I can’t believe it ended like that. I didn’t want to send someone home on a fluke,” remarked Kyren with tears in his eyes.
The seven-time World Snooker Champion, Stephen Hendry, also commented on the match the most strange outcome he has ever seen.
Following the victory over Anthony, he faced Ronnie O’Sullivan in the finals, which favored Ronnie. He lost the World Championship championship against Ronnie with an 18-8 score.
Kyren Wilson | Ranking Titles
2015 Shangai Masters — Kyren Wilson won the 2015 Shangai Masters squaring up against Judd Trump. The Englishman celebrated his victory following a 10-9 result in his favor.
2018 Paul Hunter Classic — Kyren won the 2018 Paul Hunter Classic championship against his opponent, Peter Ebdon, his boyhood partner/teacher, following a 4-2 score.
2018 German Masters – The same year, he managed to capture another another ranking title. He played the 2018 German Masters finals against David Gilbert and led the scoreboard with a 9-7 score.
2020 Championship League – Kyren managed to snatch the title, facing Judd Trump in the finals, once again. He won the match with a 3-1 score.
Kyren Wilson | Net Worth
Kyren has gathered a total of £2,164,636 from the tournaments he played, which is the equivalent of roughly 3 million US dollars.
He has preserved most of it and has a total estimated net worth of 2.5 million dollars.
Likewise, the Warrior is not a flashy person; he does not buy expensive things for show-offs; maybe that is why he has saved most of his earnings.
On the other hand, he might have invested his earning in some properties or businesses, he seems like a pretty reasonable guy, but we can’t say for sure.
Kyren Wilson | Trivia
When asked about how he feels about snooker, it had turned into a job rather than a passion like back when he was a kid. Kyren said that it’s somewhere in between.
He also said that sometimes it’s like a life and death situation when you have to earn, so it’s not the same experience he used to get when he was a child.
“It takes away the enjoyment when you have to start earning,” said Kyren.
Wilson’s favorite snooker player is Mark Selby.
Moving on to his TV appearances, he has appeared in the BBC TV show World Championship Snooker, the BBC coverage of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.
Similarly, he has appeared in the Dafabet Masters, the BBC coverage of the Master’s snooker tournament at Alexandra Palace in London, England.
Lastly, he appeared in the Live BBC coverage of the UK Championship snooker tournament at the Barbican Centre in York, England, Betway UK Championship.
Despite naming Ronnie O’Sullivan and Steve Davis as two of his influences, he was never a fan of watching snooker on TV; instead, he practiced for hours and hours on end.
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FAQs
What ranking is Kyren Wilson in snooker?
After the 2021 BetVictor Northern Ireland Open, Kyrenhas been placed at the 5th position in the world leader scoreboard.
Neil Robertson is a step above him at 4th, and Ronnie O’Sullivan is in the 3rd. The 1st and 2nd spot is dominated by Judd Trump and Mark Selby, respectively.
Where does Kyren Wilson come from?
Kyren Wilson is a native of Kettering, England. He was born and raised there; he has spent all his life there. Even today, he lives in the same town with his wife, kids, and parents.
How did Kyren get his nickname?
Kyren got his nickname after his relentless struggle in his early career. He spent two seasons without being qualified for any ranking events, but he didn’t give up and look at where he is now, the top 5 snooker players in the world.
Because he fought through his tough times like a warrior fights for his people, he was nicknamed “The Warrior.”
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