In the early morning of January 14, Beijing time, the 2022 Masters staged an unforgettable collision between the "Class of 92", mark Williams won the decider against John Higgins in a bursting atmosphere, won the semi-final ticket, and will play the first semi-final of the tournament with Neil Robertson on Saturday.
The match was Higgins and Williams' 41st meeting (excluding the league) and the two heavyweights had a total of 55 ranking titles. Among them, 24 ranking champion Williams won the game and narrowed the record gap to 20 wins and 21 losses. Williams will also be on the Stage for the Masters semi-finals for the first time since 2010, 19 years after her last victory in 2003.
Higgins shot two hundreds and one hundreds of 61 points in the first 10 innings, and Williams also scored a single 116 and a two-shot 50+. The two sides left the field to prepare for the tiebreaker, and when they returned to the arena, they were cheered by the entire audience. Williams eventually sealed the win with a 91-pointer after Higgins missed a ball defensively.
"This is the warmest welcome I've received in my 30 years as a professional player. I've experienced some really nice atmosphere, but this time it was really electric. I think they applauded for 10 minutes straight before kick-off, and they drummed again before the decider came out. Three-time world champion Williams said.
"I have no great respect for John [Higgins], who is no longer my nemesis, and has been for a few years. I really wanted to win him when we were young, and that's no longer the case. Every time I fight him again, it's a special occasion. ”
"I'll never forget the atmosphere tonight, I've never had anything like that. I want to thank the audience for creating such an atmosphere, which I really didn't expect, it was incredible. If I could go out and shake hands with everyone in the audience, I would. ”
Higgins said: "With such an atmosphere, it was one of the best nights of my snooker career. Rob Walker (the emcee) tossed the crowd crazy before I and Trump's 2011 World Championship final, but this time it was more noisy because there were more spectators here. Rob did a great job of encouraging the audience, and they witnessed a great game. ”
"I didn't even feel discouraged because I had done my best, just a little bit less in the final performance. I just feel happy that the audience is enjoying a good game, and I'm also involved in a good game and playing very well. It's really great to go back to Ali Palace to play. ”