Snooker icon Mark Williams, who won the British Open in 2023, is still going strong and previously admitted to being surprised by his longevity in the sport
Mark Williams previously expressed his astonishment at his career longevity after pocketing £100,000 at the 2023 British Open. It’s two years since Williams hoisted the trophy at the Centaur in Cheltenham, one of the most prestigious tournaments outside of the Triple Crown events, after defeating fellow snooker legend Mark Selby 10-7 in the final.
At the age of 48, Williams became the second-oldest player ever to win a ranking event. The record for the oldest winner still belongs to another Welsh hero, Ray Reardon, who clinched the Professional Players Tournament in 1982 at the ripe age of 50.
For Williams – part of the renowned ‘Class of 92’ alongside fellow icons of the game Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins – the victory was a delightful surprise, especially considering his age.
“I never expected I could still get to finals at 48 and to win, playing someone like Mark Selby,” Williams said at the time. “What can I say? These things don’t come along too often at my age, so I am just going to enjoy this one.”
When asked how much longer he could continue, the ‘Welsh Potting Machine’ responded: “I’m going to keep on going until I can’t play anymore.
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“How long I can keep going at this level, I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to see where I would be at 50, so I’ll enjoy the ride while I’m still going.”
Now aged 50, Williams admits he doesn’t practice nearly as much as he used to, but remains one of the top players in the game. Despite battling with his eyesight, he demonstrated his enduring class at the last World Championship.
Williams surpassed his own modest expectations by battling through to his fifth Crucible final and smashing the previous record, also established by Reardon, who was 49 when he suffered defeat in the 1982 final to Alex Higgins.
Despite mulling over lens replacement surgery this summer, Williams still managed to summon every ounce of his enormous experience to narrowly beat fellow veteran Higgins in a quarter-final thriller. He then bounced back from a 5-1 disadvantage to topple world No. 1 Judd Trump in the semis.
Zhao Xintong proved simply too powerful in the final as he became China’s first snooker world champion. Reflecting after his 18-12 loss, Williams said: “I played well all tournament but unfortunately I was never in the final from the first few frames.
“Some of the balls Zhao potted were unbelievable. I used to feel like that at 27 or 28. To do what he’s done, having been out for 20 months then come back and won every game, come here and bashed everyone up in a major tournament, is unbelievable.”
The world No. 5 has enjoyed a solid campaign thus far, making the last eight at this year’s British Open, where he was knocked out by his 2023 final rival in Selby. After Saturday’s semi-finals, the 2025 British Open final – a first-to-10 encounter – takes place on Sunday.
Anthony McGill is set to face Shaun Murphy in a battle for the £100k top prize. McGill triumphed over fellow Scot Higgins 6-3 in their semi-final, while Murphy ousted defending champion Selby, preventing him from reaching his third consecutive final.