The 34-year-old, who now moves one ahead of Jimmy White on the all-time list, brushed aside Jak Jones 9-2 at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast with the help of three century breaks that were all achieved in the afternoon session.

Wilson, who last won a ranking title at the 2025 Players Championship, told BBC Sport NI: "I am buzzing, it's a really great tournament. I love to be a part of it and I have built a nice little CV here.

"Three centuries later and going in at the interval at 6-2, I felt very strong. Then it was a tricky one to prepare for because your mind is thinking, 'right, I've won'.

"However, then the little demon in the back of your head is saying, 'no, don't think you've won, you could lose it' so you've just got to go through the right processes and I made sure I was here with plenty of time, made sure I ate well, had a little bit of rest time in the hotel room and just go about my business as usual.

"I think the fans in Belfast quite like to see positive snooker. They like to see players going for their shots and maybe just trying to do something a little bit different every now and again when frames are over and that's what I'm all about.

"I'm about trying to entertain people and also trying to get the win at the same time, which is not an easy balance sometimes. I am very glad I managed to do that this week."