Welsh Open: Mark Williams Advances To The Semi-Finals After Beating Tom Ford

By Lee Clow

MARK Williams booked his place in the semi-final of the Welsh Open as he beat Tom Ford 5-4. 

Williams, ranked 14th in the world, was the strong favourite to progress and he proved why after taking the first three frames of the match. His opponent, Ford (ranked 27th in the world) hit back however as he secured the fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth frames which forced a decider to be played.

Frame 1:

Following a break of 16 from Ford, Williams took a commanding lead in the first frame, finishing with 71.

Frame 2:

In the second frame, Ford responded well by making break of 60, but a miss on the red allowed his opponent to return to the table. ‘The Welsh Potting Machine’ capitalised emphatically to make a break of 35, before snookering Ford with just the colours remaining.

After four fouls, including one on the pink, Williams came within seven points of his opponent. ‘Model T’ then potted the yellow and looked certain to level the match, but a costly miss on the green allowed Williams to clear up and double his advantage.

Frame 3:

In frame three, the man from Cwm made a break of 67, but failed to close it out, allowing Ford to return to the table. The Englishman managed to make a break of 26, but lost the position of a red, which ended up being costly as Williams secured the frame by clearing up.

Frame 4:

Full of confidence, Williams raced into a 37-10 lead, however Ford responded by scoring an extra 25. Williams returned to the table again and increased his lead to 51, but a foul on the black and cue ball brought Ford back into it.

With just the final four colours left, the scores were level, but it was Ford who managed to wrap up and win his first frame of the evening.

Frame 5:

In what was an important frame for Ford, the man from Groby excellently pieced together a break of 92 as he secured his second frame of the match and narrowed the gap to one.

Frame 6:

Despite Ford’s comeback, Williams once again showed his class as in the sixth frame, the Welshman made a break of 86, securing his fourth frame, with only one more required to advance.

Frame 7:

The seventh frame of the match started very cagey with either player asserting their dominance.

A strong break of 58 by Ford proved to be decisive as the Englishman sealed the frame, once again closing within one.

Frame 8:

The eighth frame of the match started off as a mirror image of the previous, with both players engaging in a tactical battle.

Williams managed to make a break of 19, but ‘Model T’ hit back scoring 66, leaving his opponent 46 behind with only 35 remaining. ‘The Welsh Wonder’ unwilling to continue, conceded the frame, taking the match to a decider in the ninth frame.

Frame 9:

Early on in the decider, Williams could only make a break of 24, after a miss on the red allowed his opponent to come back to the table. Despite this, Ford could only manage a break of 35 as the pressure rose.

On returning to the table, Williams showed his experience with a well crafted break of 48, which secured the frame and booked his place in the semi-finals of Welsh Open.

Frame Scores:

1. 71-16 (Williams)
2. 71-60 (Williams)
3. 108-26 (Williams)
4. 51-70 (Ford)
5. 0-92 (Ford)
6. 96-0 (Williams)
7. 11-66 (Ford)
8. 19-65 (Ford)
9. 72-35 (Williams)

Williams semi-final match up is against Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ O’Sullivan, after he was awarded a walkover following Ali Carter’s withdrawal from the competition. Williams and O’Sullivan have met 47 times previously in their career’s with the latter coming out on top more often than not.

Williams V O’Sullivan Record:

Played: 47

Williams Victories: 12

O’Sullivan Victories: 32

Draws: 3