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With the 48-year-old Englishman Ronnie O’Sullivan (WS-1) and the 49-year-old Welshman Mark Williams (WS-8), two members of the famous Class of ‘ 92 opposite each other. Seven-time world champion O’Sullivan qualified for the final on Friday by beating his compatriot Gary Wilson (WS-13) 10-7. Williams, three-time world champion, defeated the Norwegian Mark Allen (10-5) on Saturday. WS-3).
With breaks of 57, 99, 105, 112 and 66, Williams stormed to an 8-0 lead in the afternoon session. In the fifth frame he seemed to be on his way to a 147, but missed the last red ball. Williams started the evening session with a 140, after which Allen did more than just save the honor. The Northern Irishman won five games in a row via breaks of 65, 53, 79, 56 and 69, but there was no strong comeback. In the fifteenth frame Williams finished it off with a 75.
On Friday, Wilson was able to keep pace with O’Sullivan until 7-7, but he did not pocket a ball in the last three frames. Breaks of 102, 110, 53, 54, 54, 97 and 129 gave ‘The Rocket’ a 64th ranking final. On Sunday he will go for a 42nd ranking title and a sixth title this season, which would equal his top season of 2000-2001. With a tournament win, O’Sullivan would take the £1.3 million mark, but he has already earned a record amount of prize money this season.
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O’Sullivan already won the Tour Championship in the first edition, in 2019, and in 2021 he became runner-up. Williams is in the final for the first time. He can win a 26th ranking tournament. Besides O’Sullivan, only Stephen Hendry (36), John Higgins (31), Steve Davis and Judd Trump (both 28) are doing better.
O’Sullivan and Williams have a long history. Thirteen times Williams managed to beat O’Sullivan, but 34 times he lost. The Welshman did win the most recent match. Last year he defeated O’Sullivan 6-5 in the quarter-finals of the Masters. “It’s always a pleasure to play against Ronnie,” Williams said. “Whether I win or lose, I’m going to enjoy it. O’Sullivan is by far the best player in the world, but I’m not afraid to go into confrontation.”
The tournament winner will receive a check for 150,000 pounds (175,500 euros), the runner-up will receive 60,000 pounds (70,000 euros). little changes to the Order of Merit. O’Sullivan remains number one, ahead of Judd Trump, Allen and Luca Brecel. Williams moves into sixth place with a tournament win over Ding Junhui and Shaun Murphy.