Welsh Open snooker 2021 - Ronnie O'Sullivan eases past Mark Williams to reach final

Updated 20/02/2021 at 23:02 GMT

Ronnie O'Sullivan blew Wales' Mark Williams away in the semi-final of the Welsh Open on Saturday night. The 2020 world champion lost the first frame but then scored six consecutive frame wins to wrap up an easy victory to set up a final on Sunday with Northern Irish player Jordan Brown, who beat Stephen Maguire earlier in the day.

Ronnie O'Sullivan

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Ronnie O’Sullivan was in excellent form as he cruised to a 6-1 win over Mark Williams in the semi-final of the Welsh Open.

The current world champion and four-time Welsh Open winner booked his spot in the final against the home favourite with a succession of heavy breaks.

O'Sullivan last played in the last 32 round with a 4-0 win over Martin Gould, before being set a tough match against England's Ali Carter. However, Carter was taken ill with a non-Covid related problem and had to withdraw from the tournament, allowing O'Sullivan a walkover into the semis.

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However it was Williams who took the first frame helped by a break of 73.

Williams had a tougher route to the semi-finals when he squeezed by Tom Ford 5-4 in the quarter-finals, with the 45-year-old 2018 world champion enjoying a career resurgence. Willams had won the Welsh Open twice and was looking for a career hat-trick, but he has not won the title in Newport for over two decades.

After that early disappointment, O'Sullivan’s only century - and the only century break from either player - levelled the scores at 1-1.

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Three more 50-plus contributions, of 77, 54 and then 69 in the final frame, gave O’Sullivan five more straight frames as he set up a final with Jordan Brown, who defeated Stephen Maguire in the day’s earlier match. The final is Brown's first in a ranking tournament with the Northern Irishman ranked 81st in the world, making O'Sullivan the heavy favourite going into Sunday's best-of-17 match-up.