Mark Williams produces epic fightback to win all-time classic against Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Masters

The seven-time Masters champion O’Sullivan looked on sure course to progress to the semi-final stage of the invitational event for a 15th time after fashioning a three-frame lead. Williams had contributed just 26 points over the course of those three frames, but having poached the final frame before the interval, staged a remarkable comeback to win 6-5.

O’Sullivan and Williams had a combined ranking title count of 63 ahead of the tournament – 24 for Williams, with O’Sullivan contributing 39, but the Rocket led the head-to-head with his fellow Class of 92 member Williams 33-8 and began the match with authority.

The 47-year-old opened with a break of 115 and demonstrated great match-play snooker in the second to hold Williams at arm’s length as he displayed, according to Phil Studd on commentary, “teak tough” safety to emerge from a messy table with a two-frame lead.

Williams slotted a trademark opener at the start of the third, but a big bounce off the cushion saw him cannon the blue, and while he dropped it into the yellow pocket, he was left hampered with the rest and missed a tough red to allow O’Sullivan in to make a 79 to open up a three-frame lead.

The Rocket offered Williams an opening when he missed a red to the left corner at the start of the fourth frame. However, with little table time to his name in what had hitherto been a serious going-over, Williams could only muster a 16, allowing O’Sullivan the opportunity to open up a four-frame advantage ahead of the interval.

Yet, having compiled a run of 31, O’Sullivan made a rare positional error, failing to open the pack as he powered the blue into the centre pocket, and Williams would emerge from the ensuing safety battle by cutting a terrific red in the bottom right pocket before producing a run of 55 to go to the interval trailing by two frames rather than four.

And some vintage Williams’ play – with some excellent retrieving pots as he battled to remain in control of the cue ball – saw the three-time world champion put together a run of 83 to seal the first frame after the break to cut the arrears to just one.

O’Sullivan was first on the table in the sixth but ran out of position on 37 and then left Williams a sighter to the middle pocket. The Welsh Potting Machine duly took it but an unfavourable cannon left him short on position, and he would miss a tough red on the stretch into the left corner to offer O’Sullivan the opportunity to re-open a two-frame advantage. The Rocket crafted frame-ball, but, with only a tricky double on offer, played safe. He would duly wrap the frame up minutes later.

A match that had briefly looked like turning into a procession when O’Sullivan was leading 3-0, was slowly morphing into a classic as Williams punished a sloppy, unforced safety error from O’Sullivan to make a tournament-high break of 143 to once again reduce the arrears to one.

And, having previously dominated the safety exchanges, O’Sullivan opened the eighth frame with another safety error. Williams made no mistake. Perhaps buoyed by his excellence in the previous stanza, he aggressively and definitively opened the pack with 15 on the scoreboard, and from there put together a run of 90 to draw himself level and turn their 42nd meeting into a three-frame shootout.

Williams had compiled a cumulative total of just 26 points in the first three frames but now had the momentum heading into the ninth, and after a loose break-off from O’Sullivan, had the initiative until the cue ball landed inside the cluster and a re-rack was agreed upon.

O’Sullivan and Williams may well have in excess of 60 years of experience between them, but nerves got the better of both at the start of the re-racked ninth, with both making errors. However, it was O’Sullivan who settled as he looked set to fashion a frame-winning contribution. But an unfortunate run of the balls as he looked to open the pack saw O’Sullivan miss a red to the middle right leading by 49 with 67 remaining, and Williams duly cleared the table to move ahead for the first time in the match.

And a match that deserved a final-frame decider got it, with O’Sullivan responding to put together a run of 77 – including a marvellous red to the green pocket – to send the match to a final-frame decider.

Williams was given an early chance in the deciding frame when O’Sullivan missed the black off its spot. However, he had to settle for 29 when he ran out of position after going into the pack, but he was back in amongst the balls when O’Sullivan went in off during a safety exchange.

And Williams held his nerve to compile a 102 to beat O’Sullivan to progress to the semi-final stage.

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