Relaxed Kyren Wilson is back on cue as he begins Masters campaign with storming win over Jiahui

Wilson, who is based at Barratts Club in Northampton, produced a strong and confident performance to outclass the world number 16, and always had the edge after opening up a 2-0 lead.

Jiahui did have his moments, and pulled the match back to 3-1 and 4-2, but world number two Wilson, who hit four centuries of 50-plus in the match, turned on the afterburners in what proved to be the final two frames.

He hit a superb 101 in the seventh frame of the match to make it 5-2 and then followed it up with an even better 105 to see out the match and book a last eight tie against either Neil Robertson or Chris Wakelin on Friday night.

Wilson's performance was a world away from his showing in the UK Championships back in December, when the Kettering man suffered badly with issues with his cue and admitted to being close to having 'a mental breakdown' in his 6-4 first round loss to Elliot Slessor in York.

Prior to that tournament, Wilson had damaged the trusty cue with which he won the world title in 2024, and had struggled to find a replacement that suited him.

He now has a new cue that he is happy with, and after plenty of time to practice with it, he is confident things are going to be on the up for him.

Speaking to the BBC after his win, Wilson told the sold out Ally Pally crowd: "I just wanted to say, it has been a really tough time lately so thank you for all the love you have given me, it really lifted me.

"This venue can absolutely bring the best out in you, and for me I have still got a long time in the game, and hopefully I will be conquering this venue for many years to come, but first of all we have this week."

Asked about how he has bounced back from his struggles last month, Wilson added: "I had to literally put a ferrule and a tip on my old cue on the day of my first round match of the UK Championship.

"It just got to boiling point where I felt I had let people down, and I don't like fans to go away feeling like they've not had value for money, and I felt a bit silly.

"It was about resetting, I have managed to get a cue that I am really happy with, and I was so excited to come here, and I am just happy I have managed to deliver."

A relaxed Wilson was clearly very happy with his performance and his game overall, even doing a cheeky no-look shot to hammer home the black for his century break in frame seven, and he said: "I felt very similar to how I have been over the past 18 months, bar the past six months!

"It sounds silly, but the cue is so important and when you are going out there and you can't trust what you are using, you've got no chance.

"I can finally trust what I am using so thank you to all the cuemakers and everybody that has helped me find the solution."

And comparing the cue to one with which he won the world title with a couple of years ago, Wilson admitted: "I think this one is better, because there is a bit more power in it, there is a bit more whip.

"It is just about learning how to control that, and I have had a month to finally get used to it."

Wilson, who has twice previously reached the final of The Masters, losing to Mark Allen in 2018 and Shaun Murphy last year, will be hoping it is a case of third-time lucky this time around.

He will find out his quarter-final opponent on Wednesday night when Robertson and Wakelin square up in their first round encounter.

The tournament is already an open one, with reigning champion Murphy as well as Mark Selby and Mark Williams all losing their first round encounters.