TABLES HAVE TURNED
Snooker star Stephen Maguire reveals what he ‘hates’ about the game but he ‘has to do it’
Maguire got payback against one of the world's best this week
STEPHEN MAGUIRE has revealed he hates having to qualify for major tournaments.
The Scot was an automatic qualifier from 2005 to 2016, the year he dropped out of the top 16 rankings.
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He now has to qualify for the major tournaments, including the UK Championship last month.
Maguire, 43, told Eurosport: "I hate going to qualifiers. I don’t lie about anything.
"I hate travelling to Leicester and I hate travelling to Sheffield and playing in these qualifiers, but my ranking says I have to do it. So it’s up to me to try and get back up there.
"It’s hard because for about 15 years I was in everything, but when you fall out it’s hard to get back in. The players at the qualifiers play differently to how they do at the main venues. I think the hunger still burns because I hate getting beat.
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"I despise getting beaten and I think that’s always the thing that keeps it burning, and long may that continue."
Maguire is featuring at the Scottish Open this week and beat world champion Kyren Wilson 4-2 in the first round.
He was thrashed 6-0 by Wilson at the UK Championship and was delighted to get his payback.
Maguire added: "[It was] better than two weeks ago but that wouldn’t be hard, would it?
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"I think I just got myself worked up at the UK [Championship]. I watched the game back and I never do that, and I had to put it off.
"I looked as if I was going to wreck the place at one point – you can’t play snooker like that."
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