Being the first person on the World Snooker Tour is always a tough thing to do. In China and even in Asia, Ding Junhui can be called the first person of snooker. Among the left-handed players, Mark Williams is also the one who opened the record for the first time, he is not only the first left-handed player to win the world championship, but also the first left-handed player to realize the dream of a Grand Slam. Even in the current world arena, he is still among the world's top golfers. Although Ding Junhui and Mark Williams both have the title of first person, in the game of the tour, Ding Junhui can be called the curse of Mark Williams.
Ding Junhui's eight consecutive wins over Williams have become the latter's nemesis
Since their first meeting in the semi-finals of the 2006 China Open, Ding Junhui and Mark Williams have had as many as 19 encounters, with Ding Junhui having a clear advantage with a record of 11 wins, 2 draws and 6 defeats. However, this is not the most terrible, in the last 8 meetings between the two sides, Ding Junhui has completed the feat of eight consecutive wins against Mark Williams. This also means that since the 2011 Masters, Mark Williams has not beaten Ding Junhui in any professional competition. During this time, whether it was a game of grabbing 3 to grab 4 to grab 5 to grab 6 or 13, Mark Williams was the one who lost the game. There is no doubt that Ding Junhui has become the curse and nemesis of Mark Williams.
Mark Williams' style of play was always restrained by Ding Junhui
On the stage of the snooker tour, Mark Williams was undaunted by many players, but he was at a disadvantage against O'Sullivan and Ding Junhui. Against O'Sullivan, his shortcomings were mainly in his ability to solve the game. Against Ding Junhui, his shortcomings are in defense and possession. In terms of accuracy, Mark Williams is no worse than any player, but in terms of possession and defense, he still has some gap with the top players. As one of the best ball control masters in the world, Ding Junhui has a lot of say in the ability to control the ball. But Mark Williams doesn't seek precision, he only pursues the probabilities and rationality of possession. In a match, this may be a more practical way to play. But when it comes to real ball mastery, Mark Williams will be passive in the game. Moreover, even after years of fighting, Mark Williams still has not found a better strategy to deal with Ding Junhui's playing style.
Williams still had a hard time beating Ding Junhui in the game
As he grew older, Mark Williams' athletic level also declined somewhat, as did Ding Junhui, a Chinese brother. But fortunately, Ding Junhui has played in very good form since the last few matches of last season, although he was eliminated in the third round of the British Open against Robbie Williams. In fact, Ding Junhui performed better at the British Open than Mark Williams. With the increase of the game, Ding Junhui's state is bound to show an upward trend. And Mark Williams is now 47 years old, and his competitive form is only going to get worse.
So objectively speaking, it will only become more and more difficult for him to defeat Ding Junhui in the coming time. On the one hand, Ding Junhui's playing style can restrain Mark Williams from making more breakthroughs, and on the other hand, Ding Junhui has a great advantage in age. After fading off from the Tour for a while, Ding Junhui has also become more and more serious about the game, and he even admitted in recent games that snooker is still his most important career. Facing Mark Williams, who has no advantage in the match, Ding Junhui has a great psychological advantage. With the recovery of his own state, Ding Junhui's advantage over Mark Williams will become more and more obvious, so Williams will have a hard time defeating Ding Junhui.