Mark Williams through to the quarter finals at the Welsh Open

By Tom Lea

HOME favourite Mark Williams advanced to the quarter finals of the Welsh Open with a 4-2 victory over Hossein Vafaei.

Beating Williams proved a step too far for Vafaei after he had knocked out World Number One Judd Trump earlier in the tournament.

 

Frame One

The Welshman seized control of the first frame after executing a fantastic plant up the table, keeping his opponent in his seat as he put together an excellent break of 84 to take an early lead.

Frame Two

Williams took an early lead in the second, registering a break of 20 before leaving a red in the jaws of the pocket.

Vafaei got his first points of the match but let himself down positionally after potting the brown before Williams added an extra 24 to his score to lead 44-5.

Upon his return to the table, the Iranian turned the tables with an additional 49 points before missing a relatively simple pink. The home favourite looked like he was going to take advantage despite some excellent safety play but ultimately a missed blue would prove crucial as Vafaei brought the match level.

Frame Three

The Persian Prince looked to have the third frame in hand after putting together an excellent 52 however a missed red would alter the course of the frame, allowing the man from Cwm to wrestle the initiative away as he cleared the table to take a 2-1 lead.

Frame Four

Vafaei looked as though he was going to bounce back from that disappointment as he opened a lead of 40 in frame four but once again he would miss a pot at a crucial time and Williams would respond with 45 points of his own to leave the frame balanced on a knife-edge.

After securing the remaining reds on offer, the man from Iran once again rattled a green in the jaws of the pocket but he would recover to knock in the green and the brown, opening a gap which Williams was powerless to close.

Frame Five

The Welsh Potting Machine lived up to his nickname in frame five as he registered the highest break of the match until this point, scoring 90 unanswered points to move one step away from victory.

Frame Six

The home favourite put himself in a strong position at the start of frame six, opening up a 53-6 lead and never surrendering his position of dominance as he closed out the frame to secure the win and advance to the quarter-finals.

Frame Scores

F1: 84-0 (Williams)

F2: 60-87 (Vafaei)

F3: 87-52 (Williams)

F4: 45-71 (Vafaei)

F5: 90-0 (Williams)

F6: 60-6 (Williams)