Six Weeks from a Mental Low, Kyren Wilson Rewrites His Story to Win the 2026 Masters

Six weeks after revealing he was close to suffering a “mental breakdown” following his UK Championship first-round exit, former world champion Kyren Wilson has completed a remarkable turnaround by becoming a Masters champion.

True to his nickname, the ‘Warrior’ has fought back from rock bottom mentally to clinch his first-ever Masters title at the 2026 edition, defeating the legendary John Higgins to lift the iconic Paul Hunter Trophy.

The final itself was far from a Masters classic, with both players scattering unforced errors throughout the contest. Aside from one blistering spell of quality just before the mid-session interval, the match never truly caught fire.

Wilson produced back-to-back centuries of 103 and 111 to surge into a 5-3 lead, providing the decisive moment of clarity in an otherwise scrappy encounter.

The evening session followed a similar pattern, with Higgins edging a few tight frames but never quite building momentum. Wilson stayed composed amid the messiness, again taking the session 5-3 to seal a 10-6 victory and finally get his hands on the Paul Hunter Trophy.

It was third time lucky for Wilson, who had previously finished runner-up in the Masters finals of 2018 and 2025.

“My Name’s Going to Go Down in History”

Post-match, Wilson made no attempt to downplay the significance of the moment.

“The stuff that dreams are made of. Can't believe that beautiful trophy is sat in front of me. My name's going to go down in history,” Wilson began. 

A Trophy for Mum

The Paul Hunter Trophy carries extra emotional weight for Wilson.

Before the tournament, his mother told him it was her favourite trophy on the tour, and that she wanted it displayed on her dining table.

That personal motivation added an unexpected layer of pressure.

“I was almost borderline desperate to win it. But thankfully that burden's off of my back and it's another Triple Crown tournament to tick off the list.”

Family Struggles Off the Table

Away from the baize, father-of-two Wilson has endured a challenging season. He has spent long stretches living out of a suitcase, juggling tournaments and commercial commitments while missing his family.

His struggles were compounded early in the campaign as his wife Sophie recovered from surgery, contributing to what Wilson described as a “torrid” start to the season.

Wilson’s issues weren’t confined to life off the table. Prior to the UK Championship in York, a freak accident saw the cue he used to win the 2024 World Championship break, forcing him to adjust mid-season.

Combined with family pressures, it was a testing period, one that highlighted his resilience.

“It kind of tells you all you need to know about me. I'm here for the long run. I'm here to stay. I want to be as successful as possible,” he added. 

Back Where He Belongs

During that stretch, Wilson felt as though his career had stalled.

“I felt like my career had been halted for some time. Probably for five or six months, it's been halted, which has been very, very frustrating.”

He admitted the adjustment period was difficult after becoming accustomed to deep tournament runs.

“I kind of got used to winning and being in latter stages of tournaments. So yeah, to pick up a new queue and after one month to go and win the second biggest major is an incredible achievement.”

Chasing the Golden Crown

Now a two-time Triple Crown winner, Wilson has his sights firmly set on completing the set. Only the UK Championship in York remains missing.

“Yeah, another crack at the world championship. Obviously don't want to look too far ahead, but it's now the UK missing to have that beautiful little golden crown on my waistcoat, which I'm desperate to have.”

“The CV's looking a little bit brighter. I just need a few ranking boys now.”

Rankings Reality Check

The only drawback of Masters success is its invitational status, meaning the £350,000 prize money does not count towards the world rankings.

Wilson’s pursuit of the world number one spot remains unfinished, something he believed was achievable earlier in the season before his struggles in York.

Provisionally after the World Championship, he still trails Judd Trump by over £500,000 in ranking points, a daunting but not impossible gap, especially with six ranking events and the Crucible still to come.

Wilson remains realistic but quietly confident.

“This is another one that's really frustrated me, to be honest, because I felt like I was slowly but surely making a bit of ground. And it was a good opportunity to close in on that [world number one] this season.”

“I’ve said before that I think I'll become a world number one this year.”

“It's probably going to have to wait until after the world championships because there's nothing that has prize money big enough to topple the lead that Judd Trump has.”

“But this one step at a time, I'm still building and this will definitely do the confidence, the world of good,” he concluded.