Mark Williams ended an eight-year watch for victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan by storming again from a three-frame deficit to win their Masters quarter-final 6-5.
Williams’ hopes of beating the seven-time Masters champion and world primary appeared distant as O’Sullivan surged right into a 3-0 lead at Alexandra Palace on Thursday.
But the Welshman – who clawed his approach again into the competition with a then outright tournament-best break of 143 – gained three successive frames to steer his fellow veteran 5-4.
O’Sullivan responded to take the match to a decider however Williams held his nerve with one other century to arrange a semi-final towards Jack Lisowski, who beat Hossein Vafaei 6-4 later within the day.
“The first three frames I didn’t have a shot,” Williams informed the BBC after ending a run of six successive defeats to O’Sullivan, stretching again to the 2014 International Championship in China.
“He tied me up in knots, he was making breaks galore.
“But I felt the crowd started to sway towards me at the end and most of them wanted me to win, which was unbelievable.”
Asked if it was his most satisfying win in current seasons, the 47-year-old three-time world champion mentioned: “Yes, you’re playing the greatest player ever… and I don’t think I’ve beaten him in the UK for 20 years.
“That’s gone now. If I don’t beat him for another 20 years I couldn’t care.”
Second seed O’Sullivan seized early management with a break of 115 and doubled his benefit in an attritional, 36-minute second body.
Williams was punished for lacking a dangerous purple with the remaining within the third body as O’Sullivan compiled a decisive break of 79 however the contest started to show earlier than the interval.
O’Sullivan, among the many balls and forward within the fourth body, selected to attend till disturbing a pack of reds and fully missed them.
Williams capitalised with a frame-winning 55 and, with the assistance of a beautiful underarm shot, adopted up with 83 within the subsequent.
O’Sullivan’s security play helped him right into a 4-2 lead, however Williams then produced a surprising 143 clearance – his greatest break on the Masters.
Another fluent 90 levelled the scores and, when O’Sullivan missed a harmful purple into the center after selecting to not play protected, Williams made a 59 clearance to steer for the primary time.
O’Sullivan gained a tense tenth body, making 77 after a protracted security change, however Williams was to not be denied and made essentially the most of one other error from his opponent to construct a match-winning 102.
Lisowski additionally got here from behind to edge out Vafaei in a high-quality encounter.
The world quantity 12 opened in model as runs of 96 and 76 carried him right into a 2-0 lead however Vafaei hit again strongly to win the subsequent three, equalling Williams’ tournament-highest break of 143 within the course of.
Lisowski levelled after a break of 67 however the subsequent three frames have been tightly fought. Lisowski ultimately inched 5-4 forward after which closed out victory with a 74.
“It’s like a dream,” he mentioned. “Three or four years ago I couldn’t win a game here but now to be in the semi-finals feels amazing.”
