Mark Williams beats Ronnie O'Sullivan in Tour Championship final after winning seven frames in a row
Mark Williams emerged victorious at the Tour Championship as he clinched the final trophy before the World Championship in Sheffield. He secured an impressive ten-five victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan, winning an impressive seven frames in a row.
At the conclusion of the daytime event in Manchester, Williams was behind with a score of 5-3. This happened because O'Sullivan won four consecutive rounds when their score was tied at 3-1. Additionally, during that winning stretch, O'Sullivan managed to achieve three century breaks.
Yet, Williams from Wales was performing impressively in the nighttime session, winning with two centuries, a 99 and two additional breaks over 50 to acquire his 26th ranking title and prevent O'Sullivan from achieving his 42nd.
In the ranking final, O'Sullivan and Williams, who both became professional players in 1992, created history by setting a new record for the highest age total with a sum of 97. O'Sullivan, who is 48 years old, and Williams, who is 49 years old, took part in this exciting match.
Williams, who had faced defeats in 22 of his previous 24 matches against top-ranked player O'Sullivan and 33 out of 42 games overall, pulled off an impressive win. The victory gave him his second championship win this year, after securing the British Open in Cheltenham back in October.
During an interview with ITV4, Williams stated that he had a good performance all day long. He had a lead of 3-1 but then fell behind 5-3. Although Ronnie's game was remarkable, Williams acknowledged and accepted it. Later on that night, he gave it his all and played exceptionally well, eventually defeating Ronnie.
"I'm pretty impressed with my performance as a part-time player! It's crazy to think that at my age of 49, I'm still able to compete and come out on top in tournaments. The upcoming World Championships are a tough challenge and O'Sullivan is currently the strongest player, but anything can happen, right? I'll definitely give it my all and try to achieve the best possible outcome."
O'Sullivan Loses Chance At Sixth Season Title
In the 2023/24 season, O'Sullivan had won five titles so far: the Shanghai Masters, UK Championship, The Masters, World Grand Prix, and World Masters of Snooker. He hoped to add a sixth trophy to his collection.
The Rocket is now aiming to accomplish this feat at the World Championship starting on April 20th. He hopes to win the championship for an unprecedented eighth time, which would surpass Stephen Hendry's record of seven Crucible victories. He was able to match Hendry's record when he won the 2022 edition of the tournament.
In 2023, O'Sullivan lost in the quarter-finals to Luca Brecel who eventually became the champion. Brecel defeated Mark Selby, a four-time world champion, in the final match.
This year's competition in Sheffield will have O'Sullivan as the second seed while the defending champion, Brecel, has been given the top seeding.
After being beaten by Williams, O'Sullivan expressed that he believes Williams has been the top and most reliable player in the past five years.
He's a fantastic athlete who hardly ever has an off day. His talent is extraordinary, and I believe he's currently in his prime, surpassing his previous levels of excellence.
I gave my best effort this afternoon to remain in the game, but my opponent is incredibly reliable and powerful. If you do not keep playing snooker at a high level, he will completely dominate you.
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