Mark Williams progresses to last 16
Mark Williams advanced to the last 16 of the snooker World Open after beating Ali Carter 3-1.
Two-time world champion Williams has been in fine form over the last few weeks, beating Mark Selby 4-2 in the Premier League last week and beating Brazil’s Igor Figueiredo in the first round here in Glasgow, and it was he who took the opening frame with two quick-fire breaks.
Carter, who won the first ranking tournament of the season in Shanghai, had a good chance to level the match, but after he made a couple of mistakes with a break just falling short of 50, Williams came back and doubled his lead.
Carter looked odds-on to win the third frame, being 72-0 in front, but Williams managed to clear the table and level the score at 72-72, forcing a re-spotted black. To win the match, Williams tried an ambitious shot as he tried to cut the black from a difficult angle, but he left the ball over the pocket, allowing Carter to keep his hopes alive of staying in the tie.
However, Carter’s hopes were dashed within minutes as Williams sealed the match in style, making a break of 96 to complete a fine victory.
"Every time I was in the balls I felt as if I was going to make a decent break," he said. "Starting off quickly in matches has not always been my strong point, I probably lose the first frame more often than anyone.
"It's not easy to play well in these best-of-fives and you know you could go out there, lose 3-0 and not even get a poke. But so far I've done well. The last time I played best-of-fives was in a pro-am in Ilford when the top prize was £500, and this week we're playing for £100,000," said Williams.
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