1 day Ago By [email protected] (Glen Williams, Steve Wollaston)
Mark Williams emerged victorious in a thrilling World Championship quarter-final clash with John Higgins, leaving BBC pundits in fits of laughter with his post-match comments. The Welsh snooker star had built a 12-8 advantage in the best-of-25 encounter before Higgins mounted a comeback to draw level at 12-12. The tension was palpable in the final frame as Higgins led 69-56, needing only the blue, pink, and black to secure victory.
However, Higgins missed a crucial blue into the yellow pocket, which would have been the match-winning shot, allowing Williams the chance to clear the table. The Welshman seized the opportunity, potting the remaining balls and securing his place in the Crucible semi-finals. Upon entering the BBC studio to applause, Williams was greeted by pundit John Parrott's congratulations.
When Ken Doherty asked him to describe the match-winning shot, Williams quipped "Balls of steel!", sending the studio into an uproar of laughter. He then humorously questioned, "Am I allowed to say that? !", reports Wales Online . Williams went on to discuss the nerve-wracking final frame, insisting he felt no nerves: "There wasn't one bit of nerves, I don't really get that.
" He explained that his nerves manifest differently, such as playing shots too quickly or with excessive power, rather than experiencing shakes or a racing heart. He admitted that it's happened maybe a handful of times in his career, adding, "People say I'm lucky, but I don't know any different to be honest." The 50 year old from Cwm has opened up about his deteriorating eyesight affecting his snooker game and an eye operation scheduled for June.
Despite trying contact lenses before the tournament, Williams found they didn't help his vision while playing. After securing a dramatic victory, pundit and former world champion Doherty joked, "Not bad for a blind man!" to which Williams humorously responded, "I have got a big decision to make now, haven't I? Do I cancel my op? I don't know!". "I haven't played with glasses yet.
That was my next step, the big Dennis Taylor glasses, but I haven't done that. I've tried contacts and I struggled with them. "So, I don't know, I'm still doing all right half blind, you know?".
The three-time world champion also spoke of the mental and physical challenges posed by the Sheffield tournament. Having faced Higgins in a late session on Tuesday evening, Williams admitted it was tough preparing for Wednesday morning's decisive session. However, he managed to find motivation, saying, "I was drained this morning, to be honest.
We had two tough sessions and didn't finish until about half 10, 11 last night. Coming back this morning I was feeling drained. "I just kept playing Tom Jones, Delilah and A Boy From Nowhere, over and over this morning, as I was getting ready.
In the dressing room I was still playing them and singing them over and over, just trying to stay with it. "It's tough out there, especially as you get older, playing all day, then you wake up the next morning and play all morning, it gets tougher.".
