Kyren Wilson fell victim to the “Crucible curse” as he crashed out in the first round of the World Snooker Championship in a 10-9 defeat by China’s world No 39 Lei Peifan.
Wilson lost seven frames in a row in the course of becoming the 20th first-time Crucible champion to fail to defend his title, and the seventh to fall in the first round the following year.
Debutant Lei, one of a record 10 Chinese players in this year’s draw, looked down and out at 6-2 behind but staged a stunning recovery, including a run of six consecutive half-centuries, to move to the brink of victory.