Tour Championship final 2024: Mark Williams roars back against Ronnie O'Sullivan to win 26th ranking title
Updated 07/04/2024 at 21:28 GMT
Mark Williams produced a stunning evening session to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-5 in the Tour Championship final in Manchester. Trailing 5-3 after the afternoon session, where he had alrady led 3-1, the Welshman needed to repeat his superb semi-final form that saw him whitewash Mark Allen 8-0 in their first session, and he did so, winning all seven frames of the second session in the final.
'He's had to find something' - O'Sullivan sparkles with 125 clearance
Mark Williams produced a spectacular comeback to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-5 in the Tour Championship final in Manchester.
Finishing the afternoon session 5-3 down having led 3-1, the Welshman was under pressure to repeat his scintillating form of the semi-final, where he whitewashed Mark Allen 8-0 in the afternoon session, before coming through a trickier test in the evening.
Yet here, it was in the second session where Williams did his best work, taking all seven frames against the world No. 1 to claim his 26th ranking title.
Playing his first ranking final against O’Sullivan since 2000, a tight first frame back at the table eked Williams back to within one frame at 5-4, with a 104 break following that to level proceedings at five each.
A superb pink into the yellow pocket edged Williams’ nose in front once more in the 11th, and he was agonisingly close to a century in the 12th, with a 99 break taking him in at the mid-session interval two frames up.
His superb streak continued on his return, with a 112 break leaving him two frames from victory, before an unanswered 78 had him within one.
The final frame was not without drama as Williams missed an easy pot before O’Sullivan spurned the final red, and a yellow and a handshake from his opponent gave Williams the trophy.
“I played well all day," Williams told ITV. "I was 3-1 up, and then went 5-3 down, and he played unbelievable, and you’ve just got to hold your hands up. But tonight, I took it to him and played well. I can’t believe I won, to be honest.
“It’s not bad for a part-timer, I’m a part-time pool player now. I never thought I was going to win tournaments at 48. I’m 49 now and I just won another one. The World Championship is right around the corner; [Ronnie] is the man to beat.
“I’m a better all-round player than I’ve ever been, considering I don’t practise that much. I try my absolute nuts off. I’m over the moon. I beat Judd Trump, Mark Allen and Ronnie O’Sullivan. The three best players in the world. I haven’t done it the easy way. I’ve won quite well.”
O'Sullivan was gushing with admiration for his opponent in defeat.
"He’s been the most consistent player for the last five years," he said.
"The way he’s been hitting the ball; very rarely does he play a poor match. The way he’s played this week and tonight, he’s so talented. He’s better now than he’s ever been.
"He seems so strong. I tried, I gave it everything to stay in the match, but he’s so consistent and so strong. You might get the better of him in one session, but if you don’t keep playing top-level snooker, he’ll eat you alive. I thought I did well to get five frames.
"If he was to dedicate his life to [snooker], he’d be the No. 1 in the world, but he doesn’t, he likes to play golf, chill out, and enjoy his life. He doesn’t do bad for someone that plays about the sport. He’s a deserved winner; probably the most talented snooker player I’ve ever seen."
O'Sullivan comes from behind to lead at end of afternoon session
In the afternoon session, O’Sullivan took firm control after recovering from 3-1 down to move 5-3 ahead.
It was a remarkable turnaround, even by The Rocket’s standards, reacting quite brilliantly and showcasing his superb potting skills.
Williams came into the final with confidence after a commanding 10-5 win over Mark Allen in Saturday's semi-final, and edged a keenly contested opening frame after O'Sullivan left a red over a pocket to draw first blood.
He needed two snookers with O'Sullivan leading 70-5 in the second frame, but they never materialised, as The Rocket worked his way to a decisive break of 37 with the pink and black remaining on the table to restore parity.
Williams responded with an impressive clearance of 91 which came to an end after leaving a red tantalisingly over a pocket, and showed he was up for the fight against the world No. 1 to regain the lead.
The Welshman moved two frames in front at 3-1 despite four consecutive missed pots, before landing a red and working his way to a break of 67 to leave O'Sullivan with plenty to ponder in the mid-session interval.
O'Sullivan needed to start brightly after the restart and did just that, sealing the fifth frame with little fuss thanks to a break of 102, including an outrageous red which bounced off the cushion and into the opposite pocket.
In the blink of an eye, O'Sullivan had wiped out Williams' lead with another majestic clearance of 127, after capitalising on the Welshman's missed red to the green pocket and cruised his way towards claiming a dominant sixth frame.
Williams had only managed to pot one ball since returning from the first interval up to this point. O'Sullivan got up and running once again after landing a long red and worked his way to another sizeable break of 59 to take a 4-3 lead.
It was simply extraordinary potting from O'Sullivan who ruthlessly capitalised on a failed Williams attempt on a black to the bottom right, and powered through to a third century of the afternoon with a 121 clearance.
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