Ding Junhui and Kyren Wilson will contest the 2018 Six Red World Championship final on Saturday after each emerging from tough semi-final encounters in Bangkok.
Ding, the champion from two years ago, trailed Luca Brecel 6-5 in a gripping affair that ebbed one way and then the other, before eventually landing the killer blows with timely breaks of 57 and an excellent 72 in the decider to clinch victory.
In the second last four clash, Wilson conversely held on for a 7-5 triumph despite a spirited late fight back from his Thai opponent Akani Songsermsawad that had the home support on the edges of their seats.
The latter, known as Sunny Akani, suddenly found form when he fell to within the brink of defeat at 6-2 down, reeling off a hat-trick of frames in frenetic fashion courtesy of a trio of total clearances.
However, the 22 year-old’s early mistake at the beginning of the twelfth frame proved to be his final undoing and Wilson, despite needing a couple of cracks, took his opportunity to reach the title showdown.
It continues a brilliant run of form for Wilson, who just last month claimed the second ranking trophy of his career when he tasted glory in the Paul Hunter Classic in Germany.
The meeting with Ding sets up an intriguing battle that represents a rematch of the 2017 World Open final, which the Chinese number one comprehensively prevailed in to land his last piece of professional silverware.
Overall, the pair has met on eight occasions with Ding boasting the superior head-to-head record, albeit Wilson was victorious in their latest fixture at the China Open in Beijing.
Recent displays would suggest that Wilson might have the slight upper hand as he rides a current wave of confidence but Ding, with his Six Red World Championship final victory from two years ago, obviously knows how to get it done in Thailand.
There’s more than £80,000 on offer for the champion, a huge increase from the £45,000 that Ding collected when he pipped Stuart Bingham in a dramatic decider to claim the trophy.
A potentially important additional bonus for Ding if he could beat Wilson would be a ticket to the lucrative Champion of Champions invitational later this year, with the latter having already qualified for Coventry thanks to his tournament victory in August.
The Six Red World Championship final will be played over the best of 15 frames.
