Mark Williams (snooker player) facts for kids
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Williams at the 2015 German Masters
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| Born | 21 March 1975 Cwm, Gwent, Wales |
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| Sport country |  Wales |
| Professional | 1992–present |
| Highest ranking | 1 (May 2000 – May 2002, May 2003 – May 2004, May–September 2011) |
| Current ranking | 3 (as of 8 May 2018) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 26 |
| Minor-ranking | 2 |
| World Champion |
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Mark James Williams MBE (born 21 March 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 – May 2002, May 2003 – May 2004 and May 2011 – September 2011). His most successful season to date was 2002–03, 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 26 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 season but regained his place for 2009–10. 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 2017–18 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. Williams has continued to win titles into his late forties, including wins at the 2023 British Open and the 2024 Tour Championship.
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 season, the other two being Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins. Williams is a member of the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame.
Contents
Career
Early career
Williams was born in Cwm, near Ebbw Vale, 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. He scored his first century break when he was thirteen and had achieved his first maximum break by the time he was eighteen. As a schoolboy, he was also an amateur boxer but gave it up after being defeated. His father Dilwyn was a coal miner, and as a teenager Williams did a 12-hour shift down a mine.
In January 1991, Williams reached the final of the junior event at the World Masters but lost 1–6 to John Higgins. Later that year, he defeated Higgins 4–0 to win the British Under-16 title. Williams was one of 173 players who all turned professional in 1992. 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. Three years later, he had entered the top 16 in the world rankings.
His first ranking tournament win came in January 1996, when he won the Welsh Open title, beating John Parrott 9–3 in the final. 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 9–5. He won the British Open in April 1997, beating Stephen Hendry 9–2 in the final. 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 10–9 on the black, but he then lost 8–13 to Hendry in the last 16. He took his first Masters title in February 1998, defeating Hendry 10–9 in the final, which ended in a black-ball finish in the deciding frame, after Williams had recovered from 6–9 down. He reached the semi-finals of the 1998 World Championship, losing 14–17 to Ken Doherty. 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 11–18.
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 and three runner-up positions, allowed him to capture the world number one position for the first time. At the UK Championship in November 1999, he defeated Stephen Hendry 9–6 in the semi-final before beating his fellow countryman Matthew Stevens 10–8 in the final. In the 2000 World Championship final, he recovered from 7–13 behind against Stevens to eventually win 18–16. Williams was the first left-handed player to win the World Championship at The Crucible. He also produced a notable comeback in his semi-final match against John Higgins, coming from 10–14 down to win 17–15.
He won only one ranking event in the 2000–01 season—the 2000 Grand Prix—with a 9–5 victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final. He was a runner-up in two other ranking events: the 2000 UK Championship, where he lost 4–10 to Higgins in the final; and the 2000 China Open, where he was beaten 3–9 by O'Sullivan. 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 12–13 defeat to Joe Swail. In the 2001–02 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 9–8 from 5–8 down in the final. However, he was then defeated by Hamilton 9–13 in the second round of the 2002 World Championship and subsequently lost the number one world ranking to O'Sullivan.
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. 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. 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. He beat Ken Doherty 10–9 in the UK Championship final, and he beat Hendry 10–4 in the Masters final. 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. He had a relatively untroubled route to the 2003 World Championship final, with wins over Stuart Pettman 10–2, Quinten Hann 13–2, Hendry 13–7 and Stephen Lee 17–8. In the final against Doherty, he developed a 10–2 lead and appeared to be heading for an emphatic victory, before Doherty fought back to tie the match 16–16. Williams regained his composure to win the last two frames and lift the world trophy for the second time.
The following season, he lost in the first round of the 2003 UK Championship to Fergal O'Brien, ending his record run of 48 tournaments in which he had won his first match. In February 2004, he was unable to defend his title at the Masters; after defeating Stevens in the first round, he then lost a close match to Paul Hunter 5–6 in the quarter-finals. His title defence at the 2004 World Championship ended with an 11–13 defeat in the second round to Joe Perry. He endured a run of poor form over the 2004–05 season, including a first-round defeat to Jimmy White at the Masters where he lost 5–6. 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 10–1 first-round victory over Robert Milkins, winning him £161,000 in prize money, but he then lost in the second round to Ian McCulloch 12–13.
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 9–8 in the final. The victory helped Williams retain his top-16 place in the world rankings. He also performed well at the 2006 World Championship, beating Anthony Hamilton 10–1 and Mark Selby 13–8 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). In a closely contested match, O'Sullivan eventually won 13–11. It was revealed during the 2005–06 season that Williams and his coach Terry Griffiths had parted company.
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. However, 2006–07 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 0–6 by Neil Robertson, and the 2007 World Championship where he lost 9–10 to Joe Swail.
At the 2007 UK Championship, some of his previous form returned as he defeated Ricky Walden 9–3 in the last 32, before facing Mark Allen in the last 16; after trailing 0–4 and 1–5, Williams produced a comeback to win eight successive frames for a 9–5 victory. His run ended in the quarter-finals, where he lost to Stephen Maguire 5–9.
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. He later commented that the statement had been blown out of proportion, and that he intended to remain on the professional circuit. 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 3–5 loss to Ryan Day deprived him of a place in his first semi-final for two years. He was defeated 7–13 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. 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.
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 9–7, before narrowly losing 8–9 to Ali Carter. He qualified for the 2009 World Championship but lost 7–10 to Stephen Hendry after leading 7–5. Towards the end of the match, Williams was hampered by having problems with his cue tip.
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. He played in Shanghai despite the injury, losing in the second round 1–5 against John Higgins. 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 1–6 by Ding Junhui. He was leading Graeme Dott 6–2 at the 2009 UK Championship when Dott retired due to illness. Williams then lost 8–9 against Peter Lines in the last 16. At the 2010 Masters, he won in the first round 6–3 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. He was then narrowly defeated 5–6 by Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals.
After these signs of form, in April 2010 Williams won his first ranking tournament in four years: the 2010 China Open. He met Ding in the final and, despite trailing 3–5 at one stage, he eventually won the match 10–6. 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." At the 2010 World Championship, he lost his second-round match against O'Sullivan 10–13.
Williams opened the 2010–11 season by winning the first event of the Players Tour Championship, defeating Maguire 4–0 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. Finishing sixth on the Players Tour Championship Order of Merit, Williams was selected to compete in the 2010 Premier League—marking the first time that he had competed in the event for five years. However, he failed to qualify for the semi-finals. He reached the final of the 2010 UK Championship, his run including a 9–8 victory over Murphy in the semi-finals after trailing 6–8. He lost in the final 9–10 against Higgins, after earlier leading 7–2 and 9–5; 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.
His next tournament was the 2011 Masters, where he lost 4–6 in the first round against Ding. Williams won the first ranking event of 2011, the German Masters, defeating Mark Selby 9–7 in the final. At the 2011 China Open, he lost in the first round 4–5 against Stephen Lee, after making four centuries. At the 2011 World Snooker Championship, he defeated Ryan Day 10–5 in the first round and Jamie Cope 13–4 in the second round. He then won his quarter-final against Mark Allen 13–5, and in doing so he reached the semi-final stage for the first time since 2003, but he lost 14–17 against Higgins. As a result of Selby's exit from the tournament, Williams became the new world number one after the event.
He was partnered with Matthew Stevens to represent Wales at the 2011 World Cup, and they reached the semi-finals, losing 1–4 against China. Williams then won through to the final of the 2011 Australian Goldfields Open but lost 8–9 against Bingham, after leading 8–5 at one stage of the match. He also lost from a winning position in the final of the next major ranking event, the 2011 Shanghai Masters. His run included a 6–5 win over Robertson in the semi-finals, and he led Selby 9–7 in the final before losing the last three frames for a 9–10 defeat. With the loss, he also relinquished the world number one spot to Selby. He was beaten in the last 16 of the 2011 UK Championship by Ricky Walden, and he reached the quarter-finals in his defence of the 2012 German Masters, where he succumbed 3–5 to Lee. 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.
At the 2012 World Snooker Championship Williams was drawn to play Liu Chuang in the first round, winning 10–6 to set up a second-round clash with O'Sullivan, which he lost 6–13. The result meant that Williams had not beaten O'Sullivan in a ranking event for over a decade. He ended the season ranked world number three. A WPBSA statement revealed that Williams had been fined a total of £4,000 for the comments he had made before the World Championship. Williams was inducted into the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame in 2012.
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His first ranking event of the 2012–13 season was the 2012 Wuxi Classic, where he lost 3–5 to Marcus Campbell in the quarter-finals. He went one better at the 2012 Shanghai Masters where he faced Judd Trump in the semi-finals. Williams fell 1–5 behind, but he fought back to trail 4–5 before losing the next frame to come up short of completing a comeback and was defeated 4–6. He then suffered a significant dip in form as he lost in the first round of several ranking events; after his 3–6 defeat to Mark King in the 2012 UK Championship, he said that he was contemplating retirement.
During his string of defeats, he managed to beat Stevens in the non-ranking 2013 Masters from 1–4 down (which would have been 1–5 had Stevens not missed a crucial pot), before losing 1–6 to the eventual champion Selby. His poor form continued as he was beaten 1–5 by Michael Holt in the last 32 of the 2013 German Masters. At the 2013 China Open in March, Williams won his first match in a ranking event since September with a 5–2 victory over Lü Haotian and continued his run by defeating Carter 5–4, but he then lost 1–5 to Selby in the quarter-finals. At the 2013 World Championship, he lost in the first round 6–10 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. Owing to his poor performance in 2012–13, Williams dropped 12 places in the rankings to world number 15.
2013–2017
At the start of the 2013–14 season, he won the Rotterdam Open by defeating Mark Selby 4–3 in the final. 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. In February, after securing a 4–3 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. He had chances to move 3–0 ahead in the last 16 against Marco Fu, but eventually lost 2–4; he said afterwards that the Williams who had won two world titles many years ago was "dead". At the 2014 World Championship, he lost 8–10 to Alan McManus in qualifying and was absent from the main stage of the tournament for the first time since 1996. He ended the season as world number 18, the first time in six years that he had finished outside the top 16.
Williams lost in the second round of his first two ranking events of the 2014–15 season. His first quarter-final of the campaign was at the 2014 International Championship; after trailing O'Sullivan 0–3, 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. His semi-final match against Mark Allen also ended in a deciding frame, after Williams had trailed 4–7, but a miss on the final red proved crucial as he lost 8–9. He was defeated 2–6 by Stephen Maguire in the third round of the 2014 UK Championship.
After knocking out Judd Trump 4–1 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. He then made two centuries in defeating Fu 5–1 to earn a place in the semi-finals of the event for the first time since 2003. From 3–5 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. He progressed to the final of the minor-ranking Gdynia Open but was whitewashed 0–4 by Robertson. 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 2–1 in the final.
After defeating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 4–1 in the first round of the Players Championship Grand Final, Williams defeated both Selby and Matthew Selt 4–3. He then progressed to his first major ranking event final in more than three years with a 4–2 win over Trump and developed a 3–0 lead against Joe Perry. However, his highest break in the next four frames was 14, as Perry fought back to win the match 4–3. 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 2–10.
At the end of 2015, he was knocked out in the second round of the UK Championship by Tom Ford 5–6, after leading 5–3. He drew O'Sullivan in the first round of the 2016 Masters and was 4–2 ahead, but the match went to a deciding frame in which Williams missed a risky plant and lost 5–6. He was eliminated in the fourth round of the 2016 Welsh Open, where he lost 2–4 to Selby, and in the first round of three other ranking events, also failing to qualify for the 2016 China Open. At the 2016 World Championship, he defeated Michael Holt 13–8 in the last 16 to reach the quarter-finals of the championship for the first time in five years. However, he was heavily defeated 3–13 by Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals, with a session to spare.
He beat John Higgins 4–1 at the 2016 Northern Ireland Open, before losing 4–5 to Kyren Wilson in the quarter-finals. He reached another quarter-final at the 2016 UK Championship but was defeated 2–6 by O'Sullivan. 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 8–7 but lost the last three frames for an 8–10 defeat, missing out on his first ranking title for six years. He reached the last-32 qualifying round at the World Championship but was defeated by Stuart Carrington 7–10. This was only his second absence from the knockout stage of the World Championship since his first appearance at the tournament in 1997.
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. He won the Six-red World Championship in September, defeating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 8–2 in the final in Bangkok; with the scores level at 2–2, Williams won six consecutive frames to seal the victory. He then won his first ranking title after a six-year drought, the 2017 Northern Ireland Open, defeating Yan Bingtao 9–8 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. He faced Mark Selby in the first round of the 2018 Masters, recovering from 3–5 behind to defeat the reigning world champion 6–5, before losing 1–6 to Kyren Wilson in the quarter-finals. At the 2018 German Masters, he beat Judd Trump 6–1 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 9–1 victory.
He advanced to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Championship with a 13–8 win over Ali Carter. Hawkins proved to be his most difficult opponent of the tournament so far: Williams levelled the match at 15–15 and secured two more frames to win 17–15. 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 18–16 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. (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. 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.
As world champion, Williams won the second event of the new season, the 2018 World Open. Recovering from 0–3 behind in his quarter-final against Jack Lisowski to win 5–3, he than came back from 2–5 down in his semi-final against Noppon Saengkham to win 6–5. In the final against David Gilbert, he recovered from another sizeable deficit of 5–9 to win the match 10–9. At the 2018 UK Championship, Williams reached the last-16 round where he took a 4–0 lead over Stephen Maguire but lost 5–6 after his opponent made a comeback. At the 2019 Masters, he lost 3–6 to Neil Robertson, having led 3–1. At the 2019 World Championship, his world title defence ended in the second round with a 9–13 loss to Gilbert.
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 5–7 to Higgins. He later reached the final of the 2019 China Championship; having been 5–9 behind to Shaun Murphy, Williams won four frames to force a deciding frame, which he lost. During the 2019 UK Championship, Williams commented that he "hates" snooker and would prefer to be playing golf. He then lost 2–6 to Michael White in the second round. After losing 2–6 to Stuart Bingham in the first round of the 2020 Masters, he admitted that his career was at a "crossroads". He reached the quarter-finals of the 2020 World Championship, where he played O'Sullivan. Williams took a 7–2 lead but ultimately lost the match 10–13.
He lost in the first round of the 2021 Masters with a 4–6 defeat to Murphy. Williams won the 2021 WST Pro Series in March, his first title for three years, finishing top of the final group. He defeated long-term rival Higgins 13–7 in the second round of the 2021 World Championship, before losing 3–13 in the quarter-finals to Selby.
2021–present
Williams won his 24th ranking title in August 2021, defeating Gary Wilson 6–4 in the final of the British Open. He lost 5–6 to Anthony Hamilton in the second round of the 2021 UK Championship after reportedly falling asleep during the match. At the 2022 Masters, he developed a 5–3 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. Williams reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championship, where he recovered from 5–12 down against Judd Trump to level the match at 16–16, 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.
At the end of 2022, Williams lost in the first round of the UK Championship to Jamie Clarke 3–6, reportedly feeling unwell with an upset stomach during the match. At the 2023 Masters, he beat Ronnie O'Sullivan for the first time in eight years with a 6–5 victory in their quarter-final clash. Williams went on to reach the final, where he was defeated 8–10 by Trump. He was eliminated in the second round of the 2023 World Championship by Luca Brecel, 11–13.
In October 2023, Williams defeated Mark Selby 10–7 in the final of the British Open in Cheltenham to become the then second-oldest winner of a ranking event. Two months later, he was defeated 5–6 by Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals of the UK Championship. Williams won their eighth frame 101–94, which marked the highest scoring frame in snooker history. In January 2024, he lost in the first round of the Masters to Ali Carter 4–6. He won the Tour Championship in April, after a 10–5 victory against O'Sullivan, in which he came from 3–5 down to win seven consecutive frames for the title. At the 2024 World Championship, he suffered a first-round defeat to Si Jiahui 9–10.
In September 2024, Williams reached the final of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters where he was defeated 9–10 by Trump. Williams had held a 62-point lead in the final frame before he missed a red. In November, he defeated women's world champion Bai Yulu 4–1 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. He went on to win his first Champion of Champions title with a 10–6 victory over Xiao Guodong in the final. He was defeated by Stuart Bingham 5–6 in the first round of the 2024 UK Championship, and he lost 5–6 to Ding at the same stage of the 2025 Masters.
Williams advanced to the semi-finals of the 2025 World Championship after edging past John Higgins 13–12 in their last eight clash. The result marked Williams's fifth win in six meetings with Higgins at the Crucible. He then overcame Trump 17–14 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. In the final against Zhao Xintong, Williams lost the opening session 1–7, and trailed 8–17 after the third session. Williams won the opening four frames in the evening, before losing the match 12–18.
Playing style
Williams is known for his laid-back demeanour and has been described by some snooker pundits as one of the greatest long potters in the game. As of March 2025[update] he is tenth on the all-time list of century makers, having compiled more than 600 competitive centuries during his professional career.
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". He is partially colour blind and has difficulty distinguishing between the red balls and the brown.
Williams is nicknamed the "Welsh Potting Machine". He has won over £8 million in prize money during his career.
Personal life
In 2010, Williams became co-owner of Tredegar Snooker Hall in Georgetown, Blaenau Gwent. He is a keen poker player and has played on the European Poker Tour. Williams also enjoys playing golf. He and his wife Joanne have three sons: Connor (born April 2004), Kian (born 2007) and Joel (born 2014). He is good friends with retired snooker professional Stephen Hendry, as well as boxer Joe Calzaghe. Williams was awarded an MBE in June 2004.
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 |
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| Ranking | 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xi'an Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | 3R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia Masters | Tournament Not Held | F | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| English Open | Tournament Not Held | 4R | 3R | 3R | 2R | WD | WD | QF | 3R | 1R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| British Open | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | W | SF | 3R | 3R | 3R | 3R | SF | QF | 3R | Tournament Not Held | W | 1R | W | LQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wuhan Open | Tournament Not Held | WD | WD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Open | Tournament Not Held | QF | W | 2R | A | 2R | 3R | QF | 1R | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International Championship | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 2R | SF | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | Not Held | 1R | 3R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | 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 | Not Held | 1R | QF | 1R | NR | Tournament Not Held | W | QF | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | W | QF | 2R | LQ | 1R | LQ | 1R | 1R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | NR | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | DNQ | 1R | QF | QF | 1R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Players Championship | Tournament Not Held | QF | DNQ | 1R | 2R | F | 1R | DNQ | SF | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | DNQ | 1R | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champion of Champions | Tournament Not Held | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Riyadh Season Championship | 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asian Classic | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 2R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Grand Prix | Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | F | NR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thailand Masters | 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 | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | QF | 3R | 2R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Goldfields Open | 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 | 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 | 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 | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gibraltar Open | Tournament Not Held | MR | QF | A | A | SF | 2R | WD | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WST Classic | Tournament Not Held | 2R | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Masters | 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 | NH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former non-ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Goldfields Open | Not Held | SF | A | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China International | Tournament Not Held | QF | Ranking Event | Not Held | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Masters | 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 | 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 | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | RR | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Masters Qualifying Event | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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: 43 (26 titles)
| Legend |
|---|
| World Championship (3–2) |
| UK Championship (2–2) |
| Other (21–13) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1996 | Welsh Open |  John Parrott |
9–3 | |
| Winner | 2. | 1996 | Grand Prix |  Euan Henderson |
9–5 | |
| Winner | 3. | 1997 | British Open | Stephen Hendry |
9–2 | |
| Winner | 4. | 1998 | Irish Open | Alan McManus |
9–4 | |
| Winner | 5. | 1999 | Welsh Open (2) | Stephen Hendry |
9–8 | |
| Winner | 6. | 1999 | Thailand Masters | Alan McManus |
9–7 | |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1999 | World Snooker Championship | Stephen Hendry |
11–18 | |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1999 | Grand Prix | John Higgins |
8–9 | |
| Winner | 7. | 1999 | UK Championship |  Matthew Stevens |
10–8 | |
| Runner-up | 3. | 2000 | Malta Grand Prix |  Ken Doherty |
3–9 | |
| Winner | 8. | 2000 | Thailand Masters (2) | Stephen Hendry |
9–5 | |
| Runner-up | 4. | 2000 | Scottish Open | Ronnie O'Sullivan |
1–9 | |
| Winner | 9. | 2000 | World Snooker Championship | Matthew Stevens |
18–16 | |
| Winner | 10. | 2000 | Grand Prix (2) | Ronnie O'Sullivan |
9–5 | |
| Runner-up | 5. | 2000 | UK Championship | John Higgins |
4–10 | |
| Runner-up | 6. | 2000 | China Open | Ronnie O'Sullivan |
3–9 | |
| Winner | 11. | 2002 | China Open | Anthony Hamilton |
9–8 | |
| Winner | 12. | 2002 | Thailand Masters (3) | Stephen Lee |
9–4 | |
| Winner | 13. | 2002 | UK Championship (2) | Ken Doherty |
10–9 | |
| Runner-up | 7. | 2003 | Welsh Open | Stephen Hendry |
5–9 | |
| Winner | 14. | 2003 | World Snooker Championship (2) | Ken Doherty |
18–16 | |
| Winner | 15. | 2003 | LG Cup (3) | John Higgins |
9–5 | |
| Winner | 16. | 2006 | China Open (2) | John Higgins |
9–8 | |
| Winner | 17. | 2010 | China Open (3) |  Ding Junhui |
10–6 | |
| Runner-up | 8. | 2010 | UK Championship (2) | John Higgins |
9–10 | |
| Winner | 18. | 2011 | German Masters | Mark Selby |
9–7 | |
| Runner-up | 9. | 2011 | Australian Goldfields Open | Stuart Bingham |
8–9 | |
| Runner-up | 10. | 2011 | Shanghai Masters | Mark Selby |
9–10 | |
| Runner-up | 11. | 2015 | Players Tour Championship Finals | Joe Perry |
3–4 | |
| Runner-up | 12. | 2017 | China Open | Mark Selby |
8–10 | |
| Winner | 19. | 2017 | Northern Ireland Open | Yan Bingtao |
9–8 | |
| Winner | 20. | 2018 | German Masters (2) | Graeme Dott |
9–1 | |
| Winner | 21. | 2018 | World Snooker Championship (3) | John Higgins |
18–16 | |
| Winner | 22. | 2018 | World Open | David Gilbert |
10–9 | |
| Runner-up | 13. | 2019 | China Championship | Shaun Murphy |
9–10 | |
| Winner | 23. | 2021 | WST Pro Series | Ali Carter |
Round-Robin | |
| Winner | 24. | 2021 | British Open (2) | Gary Wilson |
6–4 | |
| Runner-up | 14. | 2022 | Snooker Shoot Out |  Hossein Vafaei |
0–1 | |
| Runner-up | 15. | 2023 | Championship League | Shaun Murphy |
0–3 | |
| Winner | 25. | 2023 | British Open (3) | Mark Selby |
10–7 | |
| Winner | 26. | 2024 | Tour Championship | Ronnie O'Sullivan |
10–5 | |
| Runner-up | 16. | 2024 | Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters | Judd Trump |
9–10 | |
| Runner-up | 17. | 2025 | World Snooker Championship (2) | Zhao Xintong |
12–18 |
Minor-ranking finals: 3 (2 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2010 | Players Tour Championship – Event 1 | Stephen Maguire |
4–0 | |
| Winner | 2. | 2013 | Rotterdam Open | Mark Selby |
4–3 | |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2015 | Gdynia Open |  Neil Robertson |
0–4 |
Non-ranking finals: 24 (9 titles)
| Legend |
|---|
| The Masters (2–2) |
| Champion of Champions (1–0) |
| Premier League (0–3) |
| Other (6–10) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1994 | Benson & Hedges Championship | Rod Lawler |
9–5 | |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1995 | WPBSA Minor Tour – Event 6 | Drew Henry |
5–6 | |
| Winner | 2. | 1998 | The Masters | Stephen Hendry |
10–9 | |
| Winner | 3. | 1998 | Pontins Professional | Martin Clark |
9–6 | |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1998 | German Masters | John Parrott |
4–6 | |
| Runner-up | 3. | 1999 | Champions Cup | Stephen Hendry |
5–7 | |
| Runner-up | 4. | 2000 | Premier League | Stephen Hendry |
5–9 | |
| Runner-up | 5. | 2000 | Champions Cup (2) | Ronnie O'Sullivan |
5–7 | |
| Runner-up | 6. | 2001 | Malta Grand Prix | Stephen Hendry |
1–7 | |
| Runner-up | 7. | 2001 | Champions Cup (3) | John Higgins |
4–7 | |
| Runner-up | 8. | 2002 | The Masters | Paul Hunter |
9–10 | |
| Winner | 4. | 2003 | The Masters (2) | Stephen Hendry |
10–4 | |
| Runner-up | 9. | 2003 | Premier League (2) |  Marco Fu |
5–9 | |
| Runner-up | 10. | 2005 | Premier League (3) | Ronnie O'Sullivan |
0–6 | |
| Winner | 5. | 2006 | Pot Black | John Higgins |
1–0 | |
| Runner-up | 11. | 2009 | Six-red World Championship | Mark Davis |
3–6 | |
| Winner | 6. | 2015 | World Seniors Championship | Fergal O'Brien |
2–1 | |
| Runner-up | 12. | 2015 | General Cup | Marco Fu |
3–7 | |
| Winner | 7. | 2017 | Six-red World Championship |  Thepchaiya Un-Nooh |
8–2 | |
| Runner-up | 13. | 2018 | Six-red Macau Masters | Barry Hawkins |
2–3 | |
| Runner-up | 14. | 2021 | Championship League Invitational | Kyren Wilson |
2–3 | |
| Runner-up | 15. | 2023 | The Masters (2) | Judd Trump |
8–10 | |
| Winner | 8. | 2023 | Macau Masters – Event 2 | Jack Lisowski |
9–6 | |
| Winner | 9. | 2024 | Champion of Champions | Xiao Guodong |
10–6 |
Pro-am finals: 8 (5 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1995 | Pontins Spring Open | Peter Ebdon |
7–4 | |
| Winner | 2. | 2003 | TCC Open Snooker Championship | Darren Morgan |
6–1 | |
| Winner | 3. | 2004 | TCC Open Snooker Championship (2) | Darren Morgan |
7–6 | |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2006 | TCC Open Snooker Championship | Paul Davies |
4–7 | |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2008 | TCC Open Snooker Championship (2) | Lee Walker |
5–7 | |
| Runner-up | 3. | 2009 | TCC Open Snooker Championship (3) | Darren Morgan |
4–7 | |
| Winner | 4. | 2010 | Finnish Challenge |  Robin Hull |
6–1 | |
| Winner | 5. | 2012 | Austrian Open | Matthew Couch |
6–5 |
Team finals: 4 (2 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Team | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1999 | Nations Cup | Wales |
 Scotland |
6–4 | |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2000 | Nations Cup | Wales |
 England |
4–6 | |
| Winner | 2. | 2017 | CVB Snooker Challenge |  Great Britain |
China |
26–9 | |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2018 | Macau Masters | Joe Perry Marco Fu Zhang Anda |
Barry Hawkins Ryan Day Zhao Xintong Zhou Yuelong |
1–5 |
Amateur finals: 10 (5 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1989 | Welsh Under-16 Championship | Gareth Chilcott |
1–3 | |
| Winner | 1. | 1990 | Welsh Under-17 Championship | Stephen Evans |
3–0 | |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1990 | Pontins Junior Championship | Chris Scanlon |
2–3 | |
| Winner | 2. | 1990 | Welsh Under-19 Championship | Gareth Chilcott |
4–0 | |
| Runner-up | 3. | 1991 | Mita/Sky World Masters – Junior (Under 16) | John Higgins |
1–6 | |
| Winner | 3. | 1991 | Welsh Under-16 Championship | Lee Walker |
4–1 | |
| Winner | 4. | 1991 | British Under-16 Championship | John Higgins |
4–0 | |
| Runner-up | 4. | 1991 | Welsh Under-18 Championship | Lee Walker |
2–4 | |
| Winner | 5. | 1991 | UK Under-19 Championship |  Declan Hughes |
4–1 | |
| Runner-up | 5. | 1992 | Welsh Under-18 Championship (2) | Matthew Stevens |
1–4 |
See also
In Spanish: Mark Williams (jugador de snooker) para niños
