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Mark Williams on collision course with Ronnie O'Sullivan at World Snooker Championship after Tour Championship glory
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Published 08/04/2024 at 09:16 GMT+1
Three-time world champion Mark Williams boosted his hopes of a fourth Crucible title by claiming the Tour Championship with a 10-5 victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final. Williams also defeated Judd Trump (10-4) and Mark Allen (10-5) on his run to the £150,000 first prize in Manchester. Williams will be seeded sixth in Sheffield, in the same half of the Crucible draw as O'Sullivan.
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Mark Williams will be seeded sixth for the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield after his 10-5 comeback win over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the Tour Championship final.
The Welshman won his second ranking title of the season after claiming the British Open crown in October by reeling off seven straight frames from 5-3 behind to stun world No. 1 O'Sullivan in front of a sell-out crowd in Manchester on Sunday.
It was the first time the old rivals had met in a major final since the China Open in 2000 when O'Sullivan completed a 9-3 victory.
Williams moves up two places in the latest world rankings, above Shaun Murphy and Ding Junhui, to earn himself a place in the bottom half of the draw for the sport's biggest event which begins on April 20 and runs until May 6 at the Crucible Theatre.
That means he could be on course for a potential rematch with fellow 'Class of '92' icon O'Sullivan at the Crucible if both men reach the semi-finals of the World Championship.
O'Sullivan will be seeded second in Sheffield with Luca Brecel the top seed as defending champion.
Brecel will begin his title defence on the opening morning of the tournament, but must wait to discover his opponent from the 16 qualifiers who make it through to the last-32 draw.
"I am going there with a chance, this win gives me more confidence," Williams told reporters. "I wouldn't say I am one of the favourites, but I might be a decent outside bet."
Williams could also meet Judd Trump in the quarter-finals following his 10-4 win against the world No. 2 in the quarter-finals of the Tour Championship.
Meanwhile, the World Championship qualifiers begin on April 8 at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield with former Crucible qualifier Michael Holt opening his campaign against Xing Zihao needing to win four matches to reach the main event later this month.
Neil Robertson and Jack Lisowski are among the stand-out names competing in the World Championship qualifying rounds.
World Championship top 16 seedings
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