Recently, in Manchester, the heroic Mark Williams defeated a strong opponent Ronnie O'Sullivan 10:5 and successfully advanced to the final of the 2024 Snooker Tour Championship. This contest is their 195th snooker match in 31 years, but it is the first time they have faced each other on the same stage this year, and it has also become the first decisive battle in nearly 17 years.
Mark Williams (left) and Ronnie O'Sullivan are really "chess rivals"
This final can be said to be the oldest snooker ranking match in history, and the total age of the two veterans is as high as 97 years old. Despite their advanced age, they still show the quality of top players and look forward to a good performance in the next 2024 World Snooker Championships.
At the time of the duel, O'Sullivan was aiming for his sixth title of the season and the trophy of his second Tour Championship. After several hours of fierce fighting, he fell behind 1:3 in the noon game, but through continuous practice and adjustment during the rest time, the rocket successfully hit three shots to break 100 and overtake to 5:3.
However, in the evening's contest, Mark Williams performed brilliantly on Centre Court Manchester, the venue of the Premier League's sporting event, scoring five more than 50 points in a single shot, especially two to break 100, to achieve one of the brightest victories of his career. After the game, O'Sullivan sincerely praised the 49-year-old Mark Williams' performance in this tournament, and said that if the opponent spent less time on golf, he would become even more intimidating.
Mark Williams won the 2024 Snooker Tour Championship
The bout was the 26th career deal for Welsh legend Mark Williams' ranking title, more than 30 years after he claimed his first title in 1994. In the ranking tournament championship list, only O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Steve Davis and Judd Trump are ranked higher than him.
That night, world No. 2 Trump lost to Mark Williams, who also won the semi-finals with world No. 3 Mark Allen, but those victories might not have been possible had it not been for his stunning comeback in the tiebreaker with Tom Ford.
"Rocket" is gearing up for the upcoming World Championships at the moment.
Despite repeated defeats in the last eight matches against O'Sullivan, Mark Williams still played confidently, saying: "Overall, I played well today. I had a 3-1 advantage and then I was chased to 3-5, but he played so well that sometimes you have to give him a round of applause, and tonight I managed to hold him down and play extraordinary. The three-time world champion snooker said: "I'm already excited! I never thought I would win the competition at the age of 49, and I will only know after the World Championships." He (O'Sullivan) is the opponent I will beat, but I know that this process will be challenging. ”