'That will hurt again' – Stephen Hendry on why Mark Williams will be haunted by second brutal defeat of year

ByEurosport

Updated 10/02/2022 at 12:00 GMT

Mark Williams suffered an astonishing collapse in his Players Championship quarter-final against RIcky Walden in Wolverhampton on Wednesday night. Having led 4-1 and 5-2 with breaks of 103, 107 and 102, the three-time world champion blew several chances as his opponent completed an unlikely recovery to snatch a 6-5 win. Watch every moment of Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on discovery+

'This is incredible snooker' - Robertson beats Williams to reach Masters final

Mark Williams will suffer nightmares for the second time in successive months following his crushing 6-5 defeat to Ricky Walden in the Players Championship quarter-finals, according to seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry.

Hendry looked on in disbelief as Williams made three centuries to lead 4-1 and 5-2 before suffering an astonishing collapse in allowing his opponent to stage an unlikely recovery to deny the Welshman in the death throes of a wildly undulating contest.

It brought back haunting memories of the 6-5 defeat he suffered to Neil Robertson in the semi-finals of the Masters last month. Williams had led 5-3 before Robertson chased down two snookers in the final frame after Williams saw a black stick in the jaws having made 67.

World Championship

'Might get lasagne, but that's about it' – Why O'Sullivan has no appetite for Crucible

15/04/2024 at 07:53

He somehow got them before winning on the black to complete a miraculous escape at London's Alexandra Palace on his way to lifting the elite invitational title.

A similar scenario played out in Wolverhampton. Williams looked in complete control on a sluggish table as breaks of 103, 107 and 102 saw him move 4-1 to the good, but remarkably failed to make a break over 30 in the closing six frames of the evening despite edging a taut seventh frame to move 5-2 ahead.

'A wonderful finish' - Walden beats Robertson with century in winning frame

"He'll be really disappointed. I said at the interval, Ricky needed to be more aggressive and he was," said Hendry.

"We mentioned the 5-3 lead against Robertson at the Masters, he lost that match, and now this one again after missing an easy shot.

"Every credit to Ricky. It is amazing how we say one shot can change a match. Mark missed a black off the spot when he was in to win 6-2 and from then on he was never the same player.

"He was a completely different player from the one who made three centuries.

I know he takes defeat probably better than anybody in the game, but that will hurt again tonight.

Walden had rolled in 60, 123, 65 and 80 to restore parity at 5-5, but a knock of 58 in the decider was not enough after Williams had earlier messed up on 22 by missing a tricky red.

Trailing by 42 points with 43 left on the table, Williams sunk a glorious long red and the black, but missed the final red near the top cushion when he looked set to clear up with Walden admitting he felt "sick" and fearing the worst in his chair.

Hendry feels Williams "twitched" the final red after he also blew up missing a cut on brown chasing the final four colours for a 6-4 win.

"Another match that got away," said Williams on Twitter. "Wouldn't have lost that 10 years ago."

Walden will face Yan Bingtao or Barry Hawkins in the semi-finals on Friday night a fortnight after he lost 6-3 to Zhao Xintong in the last four of the German Masters.

"That's one of the craziest games I've been involved in. Conditions were tough for us both," said world number 18 Walden after drawing level on 6-6 with Williams on their career head-to-heads.

"He looked like he was coping well with them. I just fought until the end.

"I just tried to stay with him and I'm pleased to get through."

---

Watch every moment of Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on discovery+

World Championship