Williams Secures Spot in Champion of Champions Semi-Finals

Mark Williams, who claimed his most recent of three World Championship titles in 2018, has advanced to the semi-finals of the Champion of Champions tournament. He achieved this by defeating Kyren Wilson 6-5 in Tuesday’s Group Two final. Wilson recovered from a 5-3 deficit to force a deciding frame, but Williams ultimately secured victory over the reigning world champion. World number six Williams established a 3-2 lead following breaks of 109 and 72, before England’s Wilson equalized with a century break. The Welshman then compiled runs of 140 and 71, regaining a two-frame lead in Bolton, only for world number two Wilson to respond with a 123 break. A 56 break brought Williams to the brink of victory in the 10th frame. Despite Wilson hitting 58 to keep the match alive, Williams secured his progression. Earlier in the competition, Williams had defeated China’s Bai Yulu, the women’s world champion, during the group semi-finals. Despite the 21-year-old Bai Yulu, ranked women’s world number four, leveling the score at 1-1, Williams claimed the subsequent three frames to secure a 4-1 win. His highest break in this match, a 92, occurred in the opening frame. Wilson also secured a 4-1 victory in his initial match on Tuesday, achieving two centuries against Belgium’s Luca Brecel. This win came after the 2023 world champion had taken the first frame. Williams now joins Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen in the semi-finals of this invitational tournament, which features 16 players organized into four groups of four. The winners of each group will compete in the semi-finals, and the victor of Sunday’s final will be awarded a first prize of £150,000.