Mark Williams (snooker player)
Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox snooker player Mark James Williams (born 21Template:NbspMarch 1975) is a Welsh professional snooker player who is a three-time World Champion, winning the title in 2000, 2003 and 2018. He has been ranked the world number one player three times (May 2000 Template:Nbnd May 2002, May 2003 Template:Nbnd May 2004 and May 2011 Template:Nbnd September 2011). His most successful season to date was 2002Template:Nbnd03, when he won snooker's Triple Crown—the UK Championship, the Masters and the World Championship—making him only the third player, after Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry, to have won all three events in the same season. He is the first, and to date, the only player to win all three versions of the professional world championship: the World Snooker Championship, the Six-red World Championship and the World Seniors Championship.
Williams became a professional player in 1992. He has won 27 ranking tournaments, including two UK Championships (1999 and 2002), placing him sixth on the all-time list of ranking titles. He has also won the Masters tournament on two occasions (1998 and 2003). His form began to decline after his second World Championship title in 2003; he then dropped out of the top 16 following the [[2007–08 snooker season|2007Template:Nbnd08 season]] but regained his place for [[2009–10 snooker season|2009Template:Nbnd10]]. After winning the 2011 German Masters, he had to wait six years before his next ranking title victory at the 2017 Northern Ireland Open. The 2017Template:Nbnd18 season proved to be one of the best of his career, as he won the 2018 German Masters before winning his third world title at the Crucible. At the 2025 World Championship, Williams, aged 50, became the oldest player to reach the final of the tournament. He became the oldest winner of a ranking event at the 2025 Xi'an Grand Prix, when he was aged 50 years and 206 days; this broke a 43-year-old record held by Ray Reardon, who was 50 years and 14 days old when he won the 1982 Professional Players Tournament. Williams also became the first player to win professional titles in his teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s.
Known for his long potting ability, Williams is nicknamed "The Welsh Potting Machine". He is the first left-handed player to win the World Championship. He has compiled over 600 century breaks in professional competition, including three maximums, and has won over £8 million in prize money over the course of his career. He is one of the three players collectively known as the "Class of '92" who all turned professional during the [[1992–93 snooker season|1992Template:Nbnd93 season]], the other two being Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins. Williams is a member of the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame.
Career
Early career
Williams was born in Cwm, near Ebbw Vale,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in the Welsh county of Gwent (now the county borough of Blaenau Gwent). He started playing snooker at an early age and won his first junior event when he was eleven years old; it was then that he decided to pursue a career as a snooker player.<ref name="BBC 4225648">Template:Cite news</ref> He scored his first century break when he was thirteen and had achieved his first maximum break by the time he was eighteen.<ref name="BBC 4225648"/> As a schoolboy, he was also an amateur boxer but gave it up after being defeated.<ref name="ws profile"/> His father Dilwyn was a coal miner, and as a teenager Williams did a 12-hour shift down a mine.<ref name="I'd rather be in the bingo hall">Template:Cite news</ref>
In January 1991, Williams reached the final of the junior event at the World Masters but lost 1Template:Nbnd6 to John Higgins.<ref name="BAIZE"/>Template:Rp Later that year, he defeated Higgins 4Template:Nbnd0 to win the [[British Junior Snooker Championship|British Template:Nowrap]] title.<ref name="HIGMISS">Template:Cite news</ref> Williams was one of 173 players who all turned professional in 1992.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He finished his first season ranked 119th out of 595 professional players; the rankings were based on results over two seasons, and Williams was one of only four first-season professionals to be ranked within the top 128.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Three years later, he had entered the top 16 in the world rankings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
His first ranking tournament win came in January 1996, when he won the Welsh Open title, beating John Parrott 9Template:Nbnd3 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He failed to qualify for the 1996 World Championship but in October 1996 he won the first ranking event of the new season, the Grand Prix, defeating surprise finalist Euan Henderson 9Template:Nbnd5.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He won the British Open in April 1997, beating Stephen Hendry 9Template:Nbnd2 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the 1997 World Championship, he was drawn against his coach Terry Griffiths, who was making his last appearance at the Crucible as a participant. Williams eventually defeated Griffiths 10Template:Nbnd9 on the black,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but he then lost 8Template:Nbnd13 to Hendry in the last 16.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He took his first Masters title in February 1998, defeating Hendry 10Template:Nbnd9 in the final, which ended in a Template:Cuegloss in the Template:Cuegloss, after Williams had recovered from 6Template:Nbnd9 down.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He reached the semi-finals of the 1998 World Championship, losing 14Template:Nbnd17 to Ken Doherty.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following year, he made it through to the final of the 1999 World Championship and finished the tournament as runner-up to Hendry, losing the final 11Template:Nbnd18.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1999–2005
Williams had a very successful 1999–00 season, winning both the UK Championship and the World Championship. These results, along with another ranking title at the 2000 Thailand Masters<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and three runner-up positions, allowed him to capture the world number one position for the first time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the UK Championship in November 1999, he defeated Stephen Hendry 9Template:Nbnd6 in the semi-final before beating his fellow countryman Matthew Stevens 10Template:Nbnd8 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2000 World Championship final, he recovered from 7Template:Nbnd13 behind against Stevens to eventually win 18Template:Nbnd16. Williams was the first left-handed player to win the World Championship at The Crucible.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also produced a notable comeback in his semi-final match against John Higgins, coming from 10Template:Nbnd14 down to win 17Template:Nbnd15.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
He won only one ranking event in the [[2000–01 snooker season|2000Template:Nbnd01 season]]—the 2000 Grand Prix—with a 9Template:Nbnd5 victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final.<ref name="Snooker player profile - Mark Williams">Template:Cite web</ref> He was a runner-up in two other ranking events: the 2000 UK Championship, where he lost 4Template:Nbnd10 to Higgins in the final;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the 2000 China Open, where he was beaten 3Template:Nbnd9 by O'Sullivan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was enough for him to retain his number one world ranking, although his title defence at the 2001 World Championship ended in the second round with a 12Template:Nbnd13 defeat to Joe Swail.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the [[2001–02 snooker season|2001Template:Nbnd02 season]], Williams struggled to find his best form from previous seasons and again won only one ranking tournament—the 2002 China Open—where he defeated Anthony Hamilton 9Template:Nbnd8 from 5Template:Nbnd8 down in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, he was then defeated by Hamilton 9Template:Nbnd13 in the second round of the 2002 World Championship and subsequently lost the number one world ranking to O'Sullivan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The 2002–03 season was exceptional for Williams as he won all three Triple Crown events: the 2002 UK Championship, 2003 Masters and the 2003 World Championship.<ref name="BBC 3185564">Template:Cite news</ref> He was only the fourth player after Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and John Higgins to hold the three titles simultaneously, and only the third player after Davis and Hendry to have won them all in one season.<ref name="BBC 3185564"/> These results enabled him to reclaim the number one spot at the end of the season. He became just the second player, after Ray Reardon, to reclaim the number one ranking position.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He beat Ken Doherty 10Template:Nbnd9 in the UK Championship final,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and he beat Hendry 10Template:Nbnd4 in the Masters final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Before the 2003 World Championship, he had a scare when his cue was damaged and bent on his flight with Ryanair on his way to play in the Irish Masters, but he had it repaired before the tournament.<ref name="BBC 2939779">Template:Cite news</ref> He had a relatively untroubled route to the 2003 World Championship final, with wins over Stuart Pettman 10Template:Nbnd2, Quinten Hann 13Template:Nbnd2, Hendry 13Template:Nbnd7 and Stephen Lee 17Template:Nbnd8.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the final against Doherty, he developed a 10Template:Nbnd2 lead and appeared to be heading for an emphatic victory, before Doherty fought back to tie the match 16Template:Nbnd16. Williams regained his composure to win the last two frames and lift the world trophy for the second time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The following season, he lost in the first round of the 2003 UK Championship to Fergal O'Brien,<ref name="Profile on snooker.org">Template:Cite web</ref> ending his record run of 48 tournaments in which he had won his first match.<ref name="Chris Turner's SNOOKER ARCHIVE - Records">Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2004, he was unable to defend his title at the Masters; after defeating Stevens in the first round,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he then lost a close match to Paul Hunter 5Template:Nbnd6 in the quarter-finals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His title defence at the 2004 World Championship ended with an 11Template:Nbnd13 defeat in the second round to Joe Perry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He endured a run of poor form over the [[2004–05 snooker season|2004Template:Nbnd05 season]], including a first-round defeat to Jimmy White at the Masters where he lost 5Template:Nbnd6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 20 April 2005, at the World Championship, Williams became the first Welshman and the fifth player in history to score a maximum break at the Crucible in the World Championship. This came in the final frame of a 10Template:Nbnd1 first-round victory over Robert Milkins, winning him £161,000 in prize money,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but he then lost in the second round to Ian McCulloch 12Template:Nbnd13.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2006–2009
On 26 March 2006, Williams won the 16th ranking event of his career, and his first in two and a half years—the 2006 China Open in Beijing—defeating John Higgins 9Template:Nbnd8 in the final. The victory helped Williams retain his Template:Nowrap place in the world rankings.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also performed well at the 2006 World Championship, beating Anthony Hamilton 10Template:Nbnd1<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Mark Selby 13Template:Nbnd8<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to set up a quarter-final clash with Ronnie O'Sullivan. It was the first time the two had met in a match at the Crucible, and their well-publicised rivalry brought some extra tension to the encounter (although O'Sullivan has since said that the former feud has been replaced by friendship and mutual respect).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In a closely contested match, O'Sullivan eventually won 13Template:Nbnd11.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was revealed during the [[2005–06 snooker season|2005Template:Nbnd06 season]] that Williams and his coach Terry Griffiths had parted company.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Williams won the Pot Black trophy in September 2006. In the final against Higgins, he compiled a century break of 119 which was the highest break in the history of the tournament.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, [[2006–07 snooker season|2006Template:Nbnd07]] turned out to be perhaps the worst season of his career, as he lost his first match in a string of tournaments, including the 2007 Masters where he was whitewashed 0Template:Nbnd6 by Neil Robertson,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the 2007 World Championship where he lost 9Template:Nbnd10 to Joe Swail.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
At the 2007 UK Championship, some of his previous form returned as he defeated Ricky Walden 9Template:Nbnd3 in the last 32,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before facing Mark Allen in the last 16; after trailing 0Template:Nbnd4 and 1Template:Nbnd5, Williams produced a comeback to win eight successive frames for a 9Template:Nbnd5 victory.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His run ended in the quarter-finals, where he lost to Stephen Maguire 5Template:Nbnd9.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
After a 2–6 first-round loss to Ken Doherty at the 2008 Masters, Williams revealed that he was considering retirement from the game if he dropped out of the top 32 and was forced to play in the qualifying competitions, although he was then only 32 years old.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He later commented that the statement had been blown out of proportion, and that he intended to remain on the professional circuit.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He began to show more consistency for the remainder of the season, reaching the last 16 of three ranking events as well as a run to the quarter-finals of the 2008 China Open, where a 3Template:Nbnd5 loss to Ryan Day deprived him of a place in his first semi-final for two years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was defeated 7Template:Nbnd13 by O'Sullivan in the second round of the 2008 World Championship, which forced him out of the world's top 16 and pushed him into the qualifiers for the next season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was announced on 8 July 2008 that Williams had split from his management company 110 Sport, as O'Sullivan and Maguire had done previously.<ref name="Snooker - Williams leaves 110 Sport in bitter split">Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 2008–09 season, he suffered three qualifying defeats but also reached the quarter-finals of the 2008 UK Championship, where he beat both Selby and Graeme Dott 9Template:Nbnd7,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before narrowly losing 8Template:Nbnd9 to Ali Carter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He qualified for the 2009 World Championship but lost 7Template:Nbnd10 to Stephen Hendry after leading 7Template:Nbnd5. Towards the end of the match, Williams was hampered by having problems with his Template:Cuegloss.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2009–2013
The 2009–10 season started badly for Williams when he broke his wrist in a fall at home less than a month before the 2009 Shanghai Masters, which was the first ranking event of the season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He played in Shanghai despite the injury, losing in the second round 1Template:Nbnd5 against John Higgins.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He reached the semi-finals of the 2009 Grand Prix, where after making a 142 century break (the highest of the tournament) he was defeated 1Template:Nbnd6 by Ding Junhui.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was leading Graeme Dott 6Template:Nbnd2 at the 2009 UK Championship when Dott retired due to illness.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams then lost 8Template:Nbnd9 against Peter Lines in the last 16.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2010 Masters, he won in the first round 6Template:Nbnd3 against Ali Carter to progress to the quarter-finals, despite being involved in a traffic accident the day before the match. It was reported that someone had driven into the back of the car that was carrying Williams and Stephen Hendry to a restaurant.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was then narrowly defeated 5Template:Nbnd6 by Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
After these signs of form, in April 2010 Williams won his first ranking tournament in four years: the 2010 China Open.<ref name="Mark Williams beats Ding Junhui to win snooker's China Open">Template:Cite news</ref> He met Ding in the final and, despite trailing 3Template:Nbnd5 at one stage, he eventually won the match 10Template:Nbnd6. This was his 17th ranking event win and his third China Open title. After the victory, Williams said: "I'm over the moon to win again. It's been a long time coming but I've kept working hard and I felt that in the end the results would come."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the 2010 World Championship, he lost his second-round match against O'Sullivan 10Template:Nbnd13.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Williams opened the 2010–11 season by winning the first event of the Players Tour Championship, defeating Maguire 4Template:Nbnd0 in the final. The event was a new addition to the snooker calendar introduced by Barry Hearn, whose appointment as the new Chairman of World Snooker had been supported by Williams.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Finishing sixth on the Players Tour Championship Order of Merit,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams was selected to compete in the 2010 Premier League—marking the first time that he had competed in the event for five years.<ref name="Williams: I never expected Premier League return">Template:Cite web</ref> However, he failed to qualify for the semi-finals.<ref name="PLLS results">Template:Cite web</ref> He reached the final of the 2010 UK Championship, his run including a 9Template:Nbnd8 victory over Murphy in the semi-finals after trailing 6Template:Nbnd8.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He lost in the final 9Template:Nbnd10 against Higgins, after earlier leading 7Template:Nbnd2 and 9Template:Nbnd5; he was also 29 points ahead in the 17th frame with only the colours remaining, and Higgins needed a snooker to stay in the match.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
His next tournament was the 2011 Masters, where he lost 4Template:Nbnd6 in the first round against Ding.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams won the first ranking event of 2011, the German Masters, defeating Mark Selby 9Template:Nbnd7 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2011 China Open, he lost in the first round 4Template:Nbnd5 against Stephen Lee, after making four centuries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2011 World Snooker Championship, he defeated Ryan Day 10Template:Nbnd5 in the first round and Jamie Cope 13Template:Nbnd4 in the second round.<ref name="BBC 9390290">Template:Cite news</ref> He then won his quarter-final against Mark Allen 13Template:Nbnd5, and in doing so he reached the semi-final stage for the first time since 2003,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but he lost 14Template:Nbnd17 against Higgins.<ref name="BBC 9390290"/> As a result of Selby's exit from the tournament, Williams became the new world number one after the event.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He was partnered with Matthew Stevens to represent Wales at the 2011 World Cup, and they reached the semi-finals, losing 1Template:Nbnd4 against China.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams then won through to the final of the 2011 Australian Goldfields Open but lost 8Template:Nbnd9 against Bingham, after leading 8Template:Nbnd5 at one stage of the match.<ref name="WWW Snooker">Template:Cite web</ref> He also lost from a winning position in the final of the next major ranking event, the 2011 Shanghai Masters. His run included a 6Template:Nbnd5 win over Robertson in the semi-finals, and he led Selby 9Template:Nbnd7 in the final before losing the last three frames for a 9Template:Nbnd10 defeat. With the loss, he also relinquished the world number one spot to Selby.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was beaten in the last 16 of the 2011 UK Championship by Ricky Walden,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and he reached the quarter-finals in his defence of the 2012 German Masters, where he succumbed 3Template:Nbnd5 to Lee.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams played in eleven of the twelve PTC events throughout the season, but could only reach the last 32 twice, in Event 10 and Event 11. He was ranked 82nd in the PTC Order of Merit, a long way outside the top 24 players who made the Finals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Williams caused some controversy ahead of the 2012 World Snooker Championship by stating on his Twitter page that he "hates" the tournament's venue, swore while describing the Crucible Theatre, and said he hoped the event would be played in China soon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A spokesperson from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) confirmed that a statement would be released regarding the matter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Drawn to play Liu Chuang in the first round, Williams won 10Template:Nbnd6 to set up a second-round clash with O'Sullivan,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which he lost 6Template:Nbnd13. The result meant that Williams had not beaten O'Sullivan in a ranking event for over a decade.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He ended the season ranked world number three.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A WPBSA statement revealed that Williams had been fined a total of £4,000 for the comments he had made before the World Championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams was inducted into the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame in 2012.<ref name="WS2012">Template:Cite web</ref>
_2013-01-30_07.jpg){kind=link}
His first ranking event of the 2012–13 season was the 2012 Wuxi Classic, where he lost 3Template:Nbnd5 to Marcus Campbell in the quarter-finals.<ref name="all results">Template:Cite web</ref> He went one better at the 2012 Shanghai Masters where he faced Judd Trump in the semi-finals. Williams fell 1Template:Nbnd5 behind, but he fought back to trail 4Template:Nbnd5 before losing the next frame to come up short of completing a comeback and was defeated 4Template:Nbnd6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He then suffered a significant dip in form as he lost in the first round of several ranking events; after his 3Template:Nbnd6 defeat to Mark King in the 2012 UK Championship, he said that he was contemplating retirement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
During his string of defeats, he managed to beat Stevens in the non-ranking 2013 Masters from 1Template:Nbnd4 down (which would have been 1Template:Nbnd5 had Stevens not missed a crucial pot), before losing 1Template:Nbnd6 to the eventual champion Selby.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His poor form continued as he was beaten 1Template:Nbnd5 by Michael Holt in the last 32 of the 2013 German Masters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2013 China Open in March, Williams won his first match in a ranking event since September with a 5Template:Nbnd2 victory over Lü Haotian and continued his run by defeating Carter 5Template:Nbnd4, but he then lost 1Template:Nbnd5 to Selby in the quarter-finals.<ref name="all results"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2013 World Championship, he lost in the first round 6Template:Nbnd10 to debuting compatriot Michael White and admitted afterwards that he could not wait to forget this past season, but he was committed to playing in the next one.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Owing to his poor performance in 2012Template:Nbnd13, Williams dropped 12 places in the rankings to world number 15.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2013–2017
At the start of the 2013–14 season, he won the Rotterdam Open by defeating Mark Selby 4Template:Nbnd3 in the final.<ref name="2013 Rotterdam Open">Template:Cite web</ref> This was the second time that Williams had won a title in a Players Tour Championship event. However, he had a poor season in terms of ranking events as he failed to reach a single quarter-final for the first time since [[2006–07 snooker season|2006Template:Nbnd07]]. In February, after securing a 4Template:Nbnd3 win over world number one Neil Robertson in the last 32 of the Welsh Open, he said that he was glad he had ignored Stephen Hendry's advice to retire and believed he still had ranking event titles left in him.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He had chances to move 3Template:Nbnd0 ahead in the last 16 against Marco Fu, but eventually lost 2Template:Nbnd4; he said afterwards that the Williams who had won two world titles many years ago was "dead".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2014 World Championship, he lost 8Template:Nbnd10 to Alan McManus in qualifying and was absent from the main stage of the tournament for the first time since 1996.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He ended the season as world number 18, the first time in six years that he had finished outside the top 16.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Williams lost in the second round of his first two ranking events of the [[2014–15 snooker season|2014Template:Nbnd15 season]].<ref name="all results"/> His first quarter-final of the campaign was at the 2014 International Championship; after trailing O'Sullivan 0Template:Nbnd3, he won five successive frames with a high break of 120. The match went to a deciding frame, which Williams won to beat his opponent for the first time in 12 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His semi-final match against Mark Allen also ended in a deciding frame, after Williams had trailed 4Template:Nbnd7, but a miss on the final red proved crucial as he lost 8Template:Nbnd9.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was defeated 2Template:Nbnd6 by Stephen Maguire in the third round of the 2014 UK Championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
_2015-02-05_02.jpg){kind=link}
After knocking out Judd Trump 4Template:Nbnd1 to reach the quarter-finals of the 2015 Welsh Open, Williams said that he no longer expected to win tournaments and was more concerned with improving his ranking.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He then made two centuries in defeating Fu 5Template:Nbnd1 to earn a place in the semi-finals of the event for the first time since 2003.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 3Template:Nbnd5 behind, he took advantage of missed chances by Ben Woollaston to send their match into a deciding frame, but he lost it and just fell short of reaching the final in his home tournament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He progressed to the final of the minor-ranking Gdynia Open but was whitewashed 0Template:Nbnd4 by Robertson.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams took part in the World Seniors Championship in March 2015 despite only being 39 years old, as he would turn 40 before the end of the season, and he won the title by beating Fergal O'Brien 2Template:Nbnd1 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
After defeating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 4Template:Nbnd1 in the first round of the Players Championship Grand Final, Williams defeated both Selby and Matthew Selt 4Template:Nbnd3.<ref name="all results"/> He then progressed to his first major ranking event final in more than three years with a 4Template:Nbnd2 win over Trump and developed a 3Template:Nbnd0 lead against Joe Perry. However, his highest break in the next four frames was 14, as Perry fought back to win the match 4Template:Nbnd3.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In a rematch of the 2000 final, Williams faced Matthew Stevens in the first round of the 2015 World Championship, but he was heavily defeated 2Template:Nbnd10.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
At the end of 2015, he was knocked out in the second round of the UK Championship by Tom Ford 5Template:Nbnd6, after leading 5Template:Nbnd3.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He drew O'Sullivan in the first round of the 2016 Masters and was 4Template:Nbnd2 ahead, but the match went to a deciding frame in which Williams missed a risky Template:Cuegloss and lost 5Template:Nbnd6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was eliminated in the fourth round of the 2016 Welsh Open, where he lost 2Template:Nbnd4 to Selby, and in the first round of three other ranking events, also failing to qualify for the 2016 China Open.<ref name="all results"/> At the 2016 World Championship, he defeated Michael Holt 13Template:Nbnd8 in the last 16 to reach the quarter-finals of the championship for the first time in five years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, he was heavily defeated 3Template:Nbnd13 by Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals, with a Template:Cuegloss.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He beat John Higgins 4Template:Nbnd1 at the 2016 Northern Ireland Open,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before losing 4Template:Nbnd5 to Kyren Wilson in the quarter-finals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He reached another quarter-final at the 2016 UK Championship but was defeated 2Template:Nbnd6 by O'Sullivan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He made it through to the final of the 2017 China Open where his opponent was Selby. Williams needed to win the match to re-enter the top 16 and avoid having to qualify for the World Championship. He led 8Template:Nbnd7 but lost the last three frames for an 8Template:Nbnd10 defeat, missing out on his first ranking title for six years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He reached the last-32 qualifying round at the World Championship but was defeated by Stuart Carrington 7Template:Nbnd10.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was only his second absence from the knockout stage of the World Championship since his first appearance at the tournament in 1997.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2017–2021
After losing his place in the top 16 of the world rankings in 2017, Williams teamed up with his friend Lee Walker and SightRight coach Stephen Feeney in an effort to revive his career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He won the Six-red World Championship in September, defeating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 8Template:Nbnd2 in the final in Bangkok; with the scores level at 2Template:Nbnd2, Williams won six consecutive frames to seal the victory.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He then won his first ranking title after a six-year drought, the 2017 Northern Ireland Open, defeating Yan Bingtao 9Template:Nbnd8 in the final; it was an emotional win for Williams, as he revealed that his wife had been suffering from ill health, and he had considered withdrawing from several tournaments.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He faced Mark Selby in the first round of the 2018 Masters, recovering from 3Template:Nbnd5 behind to defeat the reigning world champion 6Template:Nbnd5,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before losing 1Template:Nbnd6 to Kyren Wilson in the quarter-finals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2018 German Masters, he beat Judd Trump 6Template:Nbnd1 to reach the final where he faced Graeme Dott. Williams dominated the final, making six breaks over 50 and one century (a 110) in the eighth frame as he claimed a 9Template:Nbnd1 victory.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He advanced to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Championship with a 13Template:Nbnd8 win over Ali Carter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Before his semi-final match against Barry Hawkins, Williams stated that if he won the championship he would do his press conference naked. Hawkins proved to be his most difficult opponent of the tournament so far: Williams levelled the match at 15Template:Nbnd15 and secured two more frames to win 17Template:Nbnd15.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Reaching his first World Championship final since 2003, he came up against fellow "Class of '92" member, John Higgins. The match was described as one of the best finals in the history of the tournament, Williams winning 18Template:Nbnd16 to claim his third world title. Aged 43, this made him the oldest winner since Ray Reardon, who had won the title in 1978 aged 45.<ref name="Wales Online 2018-05-08" /> (Ronnie O'Sullivan won his sixth world title in 2020, aged 44, meaning that Williams is now the third-oldest winner of a world title in the modern era.) It also marked 15 years since his previous world title, making it the largest time span between consecutive titles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After winning the final, Williams thanked his late sponsor Ron Skinner who had died two months earlier, and his wife for convincing him not to retire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As promised, he appeared naked at the press conference later,<ref name="2018-05-09_ABC">Template:Cite news</ref> but he was instructed to wear a towel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
As world champion, Williams won the second event of the new season, the 2018 World Open. Recovering from 0Template:Nbnd3 behind in his quarter-final against Jack Lisowski to win 5Template:Nbnd3,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he than came back from 2Template:Nbnd5 down in his semi-final against Noppon Saengkham to win 6Template:Nbnd5.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the final against David Gilbert, he recovered from another sizeable deficit of 5Template:Nbnd9 to win the match 10Template:Nbnd9.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2018 UK Championship, Williams reached the last-16 round where he took a 4Template:Nbnd0 lead over Stephen Maguire but lost 5Template:Nbnd6 after his opponent made a comeback.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2019 Masters, he lost 3Template:Nbnd6 to Neil Robertson, having led 3Template:Nbnd1.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2019 World Championship, his world title defence ended in the second round with a 9Template:Nbnd13 loss to Gilbert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Williams began the 2019–20 season positioned third in the world rankings. In early September, he reached the semi-finals of the 2019 Six-red World Championship, where he lost 5Template:Nbnd7 to Higgins.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He later reached the final of the 2019 China Championship; having been 5Template:Nbnd9 behind to Shaun Murphy, Williams won four frames to force a deciding frame, which he lost.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the 2019 UK Championship, Williams commented that he "hates" snooker and would prefer to be playing golf.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He then lost 2Template:Nbnd6 to Michael White in the second round.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After losing 2Template:Nbnd6 to Stuart Bingham in the first round of the 2020 Masters, he admitted that his career was at a "crossroads".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He reached the quarter-finals of the 2020 World Championship, where he played O'Sullivan. Williams took a 7Template:Nbnd2 lead but ultimately lost the match 10Template:Nbnd13.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He lost in the first round of the 2021 Masters with a 4Template:Nbnd6 defeat to Murphy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams won the 2021 WST Pro Series in March, his first title for three years, finishing top of the final group.<ref name="BBC 56480892">Template:Cite web</ref> He defeated long-term rival Higgins 13Template:Nbnd7 in the second round of the 2021 World Championship,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before losing 3Template:Nbnd13 in the quarter-finals to Selby.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the championship, Williams caused some controversy by gently rolling his break shot off the bottom cushion so the cue ball would nestle into the reds, as a safety shot. The WPBSA players association contacted players to ask whether the shot should be banned.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2021–present
Williams won his 24th ranking title in August 2021, defeating Gary Wilson 6Template:Nbnd4 in the final of the British Open.<ref name="brit21">Template:Cite web</ref> He lost 5Template:Nbnd6 to Anthony Hamilton in the second round of the 2021 UK Championship after reportedly falling asleep during the match.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2022 Masters, he developed a 5Template:Nbnd3 lead against Neil Robertson in the semi-finals, but Robertson fought back to win the match, including laying the two snookers that he needed to win the final frame.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championship, where he recovered from 5Template:Nbnd12 down against Judd Trump to level the match at 16Template:Nbnd16, but Trump won the deciding frame for a place in the final. Williams compiled 16 centuries during the tournament, equalling the record set in 2002 by Stephen Hendry for centuries in a single World Championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
At the end of 2022, Williams lost in the first round of the UK Championship to Jamie Clarke 3Template:Nbnd6, reportedly feeling unwell with an upset stomach during the match.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2023 Masters, he beat Ronnie O'Sullivan for the first time in eight years with a 6Template:Nbnd5 victory in their quarter-final clash.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams went on to reach the final, where he was defeated 8Template:Nbnd10 by Trump.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was eliminated in the second round of the 2023 World Championship by Luca Brecel, 11Template:Nbnd13.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In October 2023, Williams defeated Mark Selby 10Template:Nbnd7 in the final of the British Open in Cheltenham to become the then second-oldest winner of a ranking event.<ref name="brit23">Template:Cite web</ref> Two months later, he was defeated 5Template:Nbnd6 by Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals of the UK Championship. Williams won their eighth frame 101Template:Nbnd94, which marked the highest scoring frame in snooker history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2024, he lost in the first round of the Masters to Ali Carter 4Template:Nbnd6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He won the Tour Championship in April, after a 10Template:Nbnd5 victory against O'Sullivan, in which he came from 3Template:Nbnd5 down to win seven consecutive frames for the title.<ref name="BBC 68756691">Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2024 World Championship, he suffered a first-round defeat to Si Jiahui 9Template:Nbnd10.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In September 2024, Williams reached the final of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters where he was defeated 9Template:Nbnd10 by Trump. Williams had held a 62-point lead in the final frame before he missed a red.<ref name="saudi">Template:Cite web</ref> In November, he defeated women's world champion Bai Yulu 4Template:Nbnd1 in the opening round of the 2024 Champion of Champions, marking his maiden win at the event, before securing a win over Kyren Wilson in the following round.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He went on to win his first Champion of Champions title with a 10Template:Nbnd6 victory over Xiao Guodong in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was defeated by Stuart Bingham 5Template:Nbnd6 in the first round of the 2024 UK Championship,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and he lost 5Template:Nbnd6 to Ding at the same stage of the 2025 Masters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the build-up to the 2025 World Championship, Williams revealed that he had been suffering issues with his eyesight and was downbeat on his chances at the Crucible, saying "Whoever qualifies is going to be praying they draw me in the first round."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> There, Williams advanced to the semi-finals after edging past John Higgins 13Template:Nbnd12 in their last eight clash. The result marked Williams's fifth win in six meetings with Higgins at the Crucible.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He then overcame Trump 17Template:Nbnd14 in the semi-finals, and aged 50, became the oldest player to reach the final of the World Championship, superseding fellow Welshman Ray Reardon who was 49 when he played the final in 1982.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the final against Zhao Xintong, Williams lost the opening session 1Template:Nbnd7, and trailed 8Template:Nbnd17 after the third session. Williams won the opening four frames in the evening, before losing the match 12Template:Nbnd18.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=zhao>Template:Cite web</ref>
The following season, Williams won the 2025 Xi'an Grand Prix, defeating Murphy 10–3 in the final. At the age of 50 years and 206 days, he became the oldest player ever to win a ranking event, surpassing Ray Reardon, who had been 50 years and 14 days old when he won the 1982 Professional Players Tournament 43 years previously. Williams also became the first player to win professional titles in his teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Playing style
Williams is known for his laid-back demeanour and has been described by some snooker pundits as one of the greatest Template:Cuegloss in the game.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:As of he is tenth on the all-time list of century makers,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> having compiled more than 600 competitive centuries during his professional career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
An unusual aspect of his playing style is a tendency to sometimes position his cue directly underneath his body as an alternative to using the rest in an underarm style. He is also known for sometimes playing shots one-handed. Williams has said, "I play them all the time in practice and in matches, I don't miss many underarm shots".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is partially colour blind and has difficulty distinguishing between the red balls and the brown.<ref name="BBC 7353898"/>
Williams is nicknamed the "Welsh Potting Machine".<ref name="wale_Here">Template:Cite web</ref> He has won over £8 million in prize money during his career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
In 2010, Williams became co-owner of Tredegar Snooker Hall in Georgetown, Blaenau Gwent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is a keen poker player and has played on the European Poker Tour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="the hendon mob">Template:Cite web</ref> Williams also enjoys playing golf.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He and his wife Joanne have three sons: Connor (born April 2004),<ref name="ws profile"/> Kian (born 2007) and Joel (born 2014).<ref name="Wales Online 2018-05-08">Template:Cite web</ref> He is good friends with retired snooker professional Stephen Hendry,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as boxer Joe Calzaghe.<ref name="BBC 7353898">Template:Cite web</ref> Williams was awarded an MBE in June 2004.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Performance and rankings timeline
| Tournament | 1992/ 93 |
1993/ 94 |
1994/ 95 |
1995/ 96 |
1996/ 97 |
1997/ 98 |
1998/ 99 |
1999/ 00 |
2000/ 01 |
2001/ 02 |
2002/ 03 |
2003/ 04 |
2004/ 05 |
2005/ 06 |
2006/ 07 |
2007/ 08 |
2008/ 09 |
2009/ 10 |
2010/ 11 |
2011/ 12 |
2012/ 13 |
2013/ 14 |
2014/ 15 |
2015/ 16 |
2016/ 17 |
2017/ 18 |
2018/ 19 |
2019/ 20 |
2020/ 21 |
2021/ 22 |
2022/ 23 |
2023/ 24 |
2024/ 25 |
2025/ 26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking<ref group="nb">It shows the ranking at the beginning of the season</ref> | <ref group="nb">New players on the Main Tour do not have a ranking</ref> | 119 | 58 | 39 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 22 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship League | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | WD | RR | 2R | F | 3R | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia Masters | Tournament Not Held | F | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wuhan Open | Tournament Not Held | WD | WD | SF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| English Open | Tournament Not Held | 4R | 3R | 3R | 2R | WD | WD | QF | 3R | 1R | 2R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| British Open | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | W | SF | 3R | 3R | 3R | 3R | SF | QF | 3R | Tournament Not Held | W | 1R | W | LQ | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xi'an Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | 3R | W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Open | Tournament Not Held | QF | W | 2R | A | 2R | 3R | QF | 1R | QF | WD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International Championship | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 2R | SF | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | Not Held | 1R | 3R | 1R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK Championship | 1R | LQ | 3R | QF | QF | 3R | 3R | W | F | SF | W | 2R | 2R | 3R | 3R | QF | QF | 2R | F | 2R | 1R | 3R | 3R | 2R | QF | 3R | 4R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | QF | 1R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shoot Out | Tournament Not Held | Non-ranking Event | 2R | 4R | A | 2R | SF | F | 3R | 2R | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Open<ref group="nb">The event was called the International Open (1992/1993–1996/1997) and the Players Championship (2003/2004)</ref> | 1R | LQ | 2R | 2R | 3R | 1R | QF | F | 3R | 3R | 3R | QF | Tournament Not Held | MR | Not Held | 4R | WD | A | A | 4R | WD | 3R | LQ | WD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Masters<ref group="nb" name="GER">The event was called the German Open (1995/1996–1997/1998)</ref> | Not Held | 1R | QF | 1R | NR | Tournament Not Held | W | QF | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | W | QF | 2R | LQ | 1R | LQ | 1R | 1R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | NR | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | DNQ | 1R | QF | QF | 1R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Players Championship<ref group="nb">The event was called the Players Tour Championship Grand Final (2010/2011–2015/2016)</ref> | Tournament Not Held | QF | DNQ | 1R | 2R | F | 1R | DNQ | SF | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | DNQ | 1R | QF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Welsh Open | LQ | LQ | 3R | W | SF | 1R | W | 3R | SF | 2R | F | 3R | 2R | QF | 2R | 3R | LQ | QF | QF | 2R | 1R | 4R | SF | 4R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 3R | SF | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Open<ref group="nb">The event was called the Grand Prix (1992/1993–2000/2001 and 2004/2005–2009/2010) and the LG Cup (2001/2002–2003/2004)</ref> | LQ | 2R | 1R | 1R | W | 2R | 2R | F | W | QF | 3R | W | 1R | 1R | WD | RR | LQ | SF | SF | 1R | 1R | 2R | Not Held | 3R | QF | W | A | Not Held | WD | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tour Championship | Tournament Not Held | QF | DNQ | DNQ | QF | DNQ | W | 1R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 2R | SF | F | W | 2R | 2R | W | 2R | 2R | QF | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | SF | 2R | 1R | LQ | 1R | QF | LQ | W | 2R | QF | QF | SF | 2R | 1R | F | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shanghai Masters | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | QF | 2R | Not Held | 2R | 2R | 2R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champion of Champions | Tournament Not Held | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | W | QF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Template:Nowrap | Tournament Not Held | 2R | SF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Masters | LQ | LQ | 1R | LQ | QF | W | QF | QF | 1R | F | W | QF | QF | QF | 1R | 1R | LQ | SF | 1R | QF | QF | A | A | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | 1R | SF | F | 1R | 1R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship League | Tournament Not Held | RR | RR | RR | SF | RR | RR | RR | RR | SF | RR | 2R | A | RR | F | WD | WD | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Seniors Championship | Tournament Not Held | A | A | A | A | W | 1R | A | A | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asian Classic<ref group="nb">The event was called the Dubai Classic (1992/1993–1994/1995) and the Thailand Classic (1995/1996)</ref> | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 2R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Grand Prix | Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | F | NR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thailand Masters<ref group="nb">The event was called the Asian Open (1992/1993) and the Thailand Open (1993/1994–1996/1997)</ref> | LQ | LQ | 1R | LQ | 2R | QF | W | W | 2R | W | NR | Tournament Not Held | NR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irish Masters | Non-Ranking Event | QF | 2R | SF | NH | NR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Trophy | Tournament Not Held | NR | 3R | 2R | 3R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bahrain Championship | Tournament Not Held | LQ | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wuxi Classic<ref group="nb" name="WUC">The event was called the Jiangsu Classic (2008/2009–2009/2010)</ref> | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | QF | 3R | 2R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Goldfields Open<ref group="nb" name="AUS">The event was called the Australian Open (1994/1995) and the Australian Masters (1995/1996)</ref> | Not Held | Non-Ranking | Tournament Not Held | F | A | A | A | A | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shanghai Masters | Tournament Not Held | 1R | QF | 2R | 2R | F | SF | LQ | 2R | QF | 1R | QF | Non-Ranking | Not Held | Non-Ranking | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Open | Tournament Not Held | 3R | SF | NH | 2R | A | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Open<ref group="nb" name="CHN">The event was called the China International (1997/1998–1998/1999)</ref> | Tournament Not Held | NR | 2R | QF | F | W | Not Held | QF | W | 1R | QF | 1R | W | 1R | 2R | QF | 2R | 3R | LQ | F | QF | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Riga Masters<ref group="nb">The event was called the Riga Open (2014/2015–2015/2016)</ref> | Tournament Not Held | Minor-Rank | SF | SF | 2R | 2R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Championship | Tournament Not Held | NR | QF | 3R | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WST Pro Series | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turkish Masters | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gibraltar Open | Tournament Not Held | MR | QF | A | A | SF | 2R | WD | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WST Classic | Tournament Not Held | 2R | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Masters<ref group="nb" name="EUR">The event was called the European Open (1992/1993–1996/1997), the Irish Open (1998/1999) and the Malta Cup (2004/2005–2007/2008)</ref> | 3R | 1R | LQ | 1R | 1R | NH | W | Not Held | SF | SF | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | NR | Tournament Not Held | LQ | QF | WD | 1R | 2R | WD | SF | 2R | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Goldfields Open<ref group="nb" name="AUS"/> | Not Held | SF | A | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China International<ref group="nb" name="CHN"/> | Tournament Not Held | QF | Ranking Event | Not Held | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Masters<ref group="nb" name="GER"/> | Not Held | Ranking Event | F | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Millennium Cup | Tournament Not Held | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pontins Professional | A | A | A | QF | QF | W | SF | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Grand Prix | Not Held | A | A | SF | QF | SF | R | F | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champions Cup<ref group="nb">The event was called the Charity Challenge (1994/1995–1998/1999)</ref> | Not Held | A | A | A | QF | 1R | F | F | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Masters | A | A | A | A | QF | A | QF | SF | SF | SF | QF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Champions v Asia Stars | Tournament Not Held | RR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Trophy | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irish Masters | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 1R | QF | SF | QF | Ranking Event | NH | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Euro-Asia Masters Challenge | Tournament Not Held | SF | RR | Not Held | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pot Black | A | A | Tournament Not Held | A | W | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Cup<ref group="nb" name="EUR"/> | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | RR | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Masters Qualifying Event<ref group="nb">The event was also called the Benson & Hedges Championship (1990/1991–2002/2003)</ref> | MR | 1R | W | 3R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power Snooker | Tournament Not Held | A | 1R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premier League<ref group="nb" name="PLS">The event was called the northern igue (1992/1993–1996/1997)</ref> | A | A | A | A | A | RR | SF | F | RR | SF | F | SF | F | A | A | A | A | A | RR | SF | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | QF | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General Cup<ref group="nb">The event was called the General Cup International (2004/2005–2011/2012)</ref> | Tournament Not Held | A | Tournament Not Held | A | NH | A | A | A | A | F | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shoot Out | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 2R | QF | 1R | 3R | SF | Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Championship | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Romanian Masters | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Macau Masters | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hong Kong Masters | Tournament Not Held | A | Tournament Not Held | QF | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Six-red World Championship<ref group="nb">The event was called the Six-red Snooker International (2008/2009) and the Six-red World Grand Prix (2009/2010)</ref> | Tournament Not Held | A | SF | 2R | NH | 2R | QF | QF | 2R | 2R | W | 2R | SF | Not Held | 2R | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Performance Table Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LQ | lost in the qualifying draw | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) |
QF | lost in the quarter-finals |
| SF | lost in the semi-finals | F | lost in the final | W | won the tournament |
| DNQ | did not qualify for the tournament | A | did not participate in the tournament | WD | withdrew from the tournament |
| DQ | disqualified from the tournament | ||||
| NH / Not Held | event was not held. | |||
| NR / Non-Ranking Event | event is/was no longer a ranking event. | |||
| R / Ranking Event | event is/was a ranking event. | |||
| MR / Minor-Ranking Event | means an event is/was a minor-ranking event. | |||
| PA / Pro-am Event | means an event is/was a pro-am event. | |||
Career finals
Ranking finals: 44 (27 titles)
| Legend |
|---|
| World Championship (3–2) |
| UK Championship (2–2) |
| Other (22–13) |
Minor-ranking finals: 3 (2 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2010 | Players Tour Championship – Event 1 | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 4–0 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Winner | 2. | 2013 | Rotterdam Open | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 4–3 | <ref name="2013 Rotterdam Open" /> |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2015 | Gdynia Open | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 0–4 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Non-ranking finals: 26 (11 titles)
| Legend |
|---|
| The Masters (2–2) |
| Champion of Champions (1–0) |
| Premier League (0–3) |
| Other (8–10) |
Pro-am finals: 7 (4 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1995 | Pontins Spring Open | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 7–4 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Winner | 2. | 2003 | TCC Open Snooker Championship | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 6–1 | <ref name="2008 TCC Open Snooker Championship">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Winner | 3. | 2004 | TCC Open Snooker Championship (2) | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 7–6 | <ref name="2008 TCC Open Snooker Championship" /> |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2006 | TCC Open Snooker Championship | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 4–7 | <ref name="2008 TCC Open Snooker Championship" /> |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2008 | TCC Open Snooker Championship (2) | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 5–7 | <ref name="2008 TCC Open Snooker Championship" /> |
| Runner-up | 3. | 2009 | TCC Open Snooker Championship (3) | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 4–7 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Winner | 4. | 2012 | Austrian Open | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 6–5 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Team finals: 4 (2 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Team | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1999 | Nations Cup | Template:WAL | Template:SCO | 6–4 | <ref name="Turner Team">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2000 | Nations Cup | Template:WAL | Template:ENG | 4–6 | <ref name="Turner Team"/> |
| Winner | 2. | 2017 | CVB Snooker Challenge | Template:Flagcountry | Template:Flagcountry | 26–9 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2018 | Macau Masters | Template:Flagicon Joe Perry Template:Flagicon Marco Fu Template:Flagicon Zhang Anda |
Template:Flagicon Barry Hawkins Template:Flagicon Ryan Day Template:Flagicon Zhao Xintong Template:Flagicon Zhou Yuelong |
1–5 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Amateur finals: 10 (5 titles)
References
External links
Template:World snooker champions Template:UK Championship winners Template:Masters winners Template:Snooker world number ones Template:Snooker player of the year Template:Portal bar Template:Authority control
- Pages with broken file links
- 1975 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Ebbw Vale
- Welsh snooker players
- Masters (snooker) champions
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- World number one snooker players
- Welsh pool players
- UK champions (snooker)
- Winners of the professional snooker world championship
- Six-red World Championships champions
- World Seniors Championship champions