Mark Williams produced a vintage performance to beat the world No 1, Judd Trump, and book his place in the final of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.
Williams, 50, who is bidding to win his fourth title and become the oldest champion in tournament history, rolled back the years as he compiled four centuries and 10 breaks over 50 in a 17-14 victory at the Crucible.
The veteran Welshman will face a player young enough to be his son in the two-day final after 28-year-old Zhao Xintong thrashed the seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan 17-7 in the other semi-final on Friday.
“I can’t believe I’m in another final, I really struggled in the last two tournaments.” Williams said. “I don’t know how I’m doing it. How am I competing with the No 1 player in the world, who wins six tournaments a year, over three days? I’ve got to be proud of myself.”
Williams has been struggling with his eyesight and said: “I’m due to have lens replacement surgery on 12 June – deposit paid – but I’m going to have to have a think. I want my deposit back.”
Trump has failed to add to his solitary world title he won in 2019, and said: “I’m not really disappointed, I tried my best. It wasn’t that far off. In the crucial moments, he potted them and I didn’t. He was too good for me over the three days.
“If Mark plays to that standard in the final there’s no doubt in my mind that he will win.”
Williams trailed 7-3 early in the second session but fought back to level at 8-8 and won five of the eight frames played on Saturday morning to open up a 13-11 lead.
The left-hander carried on where he left off in the final session with breaks of 67 and 65 to move 15-11 ahead, before Trump hit back with his 106th century of the season to close the gap.
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That ensured a mid-session interval would be required but Williams went into the break needing just one frame for victory after responding with a century of his own. When play resumed Trump took the 29th frame to keep his hopes alive and also won the next with a 116 clearance after Williams missed a red to the middle with his first chance to seal victory.
Trump had the chance to pile on the pressure after a superb red to the middle in frame 31, but missed a difficult thin black and Williams grabbed the opportunity in style with a clearance of 123 to seal victory.
Williams won his first world title in 2000 – when Zhao was just three years old – and his most recent in 2018, when he famously conducted his winning press conference naked – apart from a towel – to fulfil a promise made earlier in the tournament.
“It’s unbelievable. Twelve months ago I wasn’t even here. I watched it in a caravan,” Williams said at the time, having contemplated quitting the sport the previous year after losing in the final round of qualifying.
Ronnie O’Sullivan believes Zhao has what it takes to become the first Chinese winner of the world championship, and with it a “megastar”, after the 28-year-old beat the seven-time champion to reach the final. Zhao has had an extraordinary journey to the Crucible showpiece, which gets under way on Sunday and concludes on Monday, with his latest remarkable achievement his victory over O’Sullivan with a session to spare.
Having fought through four qualifying rounds as he continues his comeback after a 20-month ban for his involvement in a betting scandal, Zhao has since seen off Jak Jones, Lei Peifan, Chris Wakelin and O’Sullivan to become the second player from China to reach the world final after Ding Junhui, who lost to Mark Selby in the 2016 final.
Zhao, who is playing as an amateur in Sheffield, showed his class against O’Sullivan on Friday as he won all eight frames in the morning to open up a 12-4 lead before finishing the job in the evening to knock out his hero. O’Sullivan thinks Zhao, who won the UK Championship in 2021, is capable of going all the way and feels it would be good for the sport if he did get his hands on the trophy.
He said: “I think it would be amazing. I think if he did win he would be a megastar. He’s still very big in China as it is. But if he becomes world champion it would just be amazing for snooker and for his life as well. He can definitely get over the line. I think he’ll have more of a test [in the final]. That will be a proper test for him.”
