Mark Williams cannot explain why he is still on top at 50 after reaching Wuhan Open semi-finals - 'It's unbelievable'
Published 28/08/2025 at 18:15 GMT+1
Mark Williams reached the 68th ranking event semi-final of his gilded career with a 5-1 win over Zhang Anda at the Wuhan Open on Thursday. The Welsh sporting icon turned 50 in March, but shows no signs of slowing down as he moved within two wins of the £140,000 title. "I've got to savour it, because how am I still doing it at 50?" said the Welshman. "I don't know."
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Mark Williams reached the 68th ranking semi-final of his golden 33-year snooker career with a dominant 5-1 win over Zhang Anda in the Wuhan Open quarter-finals on Thursday, a feat he described as "incredible".
The three-time world champion followed up his 5-1 win over Joe O'Connor and 5-3 victory over Mark Selby with another impressive display against Zhang that included breaks of 74, 58, 83 and 60 with former International Championship winner Zhang avoiding the whitewash with a run of 50 in the second frame.
Williams will face defending champion Xiao Guodong, who defeated Stan Moody 5-2, in their best-of-11 frame semi-final on Thursday, as he chases a 27th major ranking event win only months after turning 50 in March.
Live coverage of the semi-final on Friday will be on TNT Sports and discovery+.
"68 semi-finals, eh? What can I say about that? It's unbelievable," said Williams speaking on TNT Sports.
"You know, I've got to pinch myself sometimes because, like I said earlier, the peak of my powers, really, is between probably 24 to 30, 31 is where you should be peaking.
"I'm 20 years past that and I'm still, not peaking, but I'm still getting into semi-finals, winning the odd tournament here and there, you know, semi-final of this one, quarter-finals of Saudi Arabia.
"It's incredible, really, when you sit back and think about it."
Williams will move back above fellow 'Class of '92' icon Ronnie O'Sullivan as world No. 4 if he reaches the final.
"I think just being in the top 16, never mind the top four, competing with the youngsters. I say youngsters, but people like Selby, they are 40 as well now," he said.
"Robertson's 40, but just to still be in the mix with them. I think that's an achievement in itself.
"I've got to savour it, because how am I still doing it at 50? I don't know.
"There's not many other sports where you can keep the longevity going, especially if you're an athlete or something, you can't do it.
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"Snooker probably, maybe darts or something like that, is the only one I suppose you can keep going.
"Fatigue and eyesight are the ones that go towards the end, which I'm suffering a little bit with, but, some of the balls are still going in, so what do I do, really? I'm still going, I don't know how. I haven't got a clue.
"I'm just happy to be in the semi-finals. If go on to win one, it would be even better, but if you would have said to me five years ago that I would still be in the semi-finals and competing, I probably wouldn't have believed it. But here we are.
"Five years on, 50, I'm still competing, I'm still giving the top players in the world a run for their money.
"And I'm still going. How long it's going to go on for? I don't know.
"I've just got to enjoy it because I know it's going to come to an end, and I'll start going downhill and that'll be the end.
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Mark Williams in action during his Wuhan Open quarter-final on Thursday
Image credit: Getty Images
"But, I thought it would have been come and gone by now. I thought I probably would have been in the amateur game, just enjoying it probably.
"But I'm still at the top of the rankings in the main game. Incredible."
Williams has won the British Open and Tour Championship in recent seasons while also reaching the World Championship final this year, and the final of the recent Saudi Arabia Masters, runs that netted him £400,000 alone.
He will usurp fellow Welsh icon Ray Reardon as the oldest winner of a ranking event if he secures another major title.
The six-time world champion was aged 50 years and 14 days when he defeated Jimmy White in the final of the Professional Players Tournament in 1982.
Williams feels the key to his longevity could be down to his refusal to get flustered.
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"I never really get excited to go and play any match," he said. "Like I said before, my heart don't start pounding, I don't get butterflies in my stomach before I get out there.
"Very, very rare, my arms start shaking. Very rare occasions. I haven't got any routine. I've got nothing like that.
"When I play the semi-finals, will my heart be pumping, nerves be jangling? Not at all. And if they are, I'll get beat.
"I've always been like that. There are other people, especially [coach] Lee Walker, who say, you don't know how lucky you are.
"On the odd occasion, I have found a bit of nerves and shaking. He says to me: 'I'm like that every single pro match I play'.
"If I was like that, I'd never be able to win a game. I don't know why, but it's just never been me, even as a kid."
Top 10 ranking event winners
- 1. Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) 41
- 2. Stephen Hendry (Sco) 36
- 3. John Higgins (Sco) 33
- 4. Judd Trump (Eng) 30
- 5. Steve Davis (Eng) 28
- 6. Mark Williams (Wal) 26
- 6. Neil Robertson (Aus) 26
- 8. Mark Selby (Eng) 24
- 9. Ding Junhui (Chn) 15
- 10. Shaun Murphy (Eng) 12
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Watch and stream top snooker action, including the Wuhan Open, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+
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