Mark Williams (snooker player)
Mark James Williams, MBE ( born March 21, 1975 in Cwm, Ebbw Vale ) is a Welsh snooker player.
Career
Prior to his snooker career, Williams was working as an amateur boxer. In 1992 he became a professional player, however, after concluding the season 1994/ 95 is already number 39 of the snooker world rankings. At the end of the 1995/96 season, he improved to 16, including through his first victory in a ranking tournament, the Welsh Open.
The following season he won the Grand Prix and the British Open two other major tournaments, so that it penetrated to number 4. 1997/98 he won the prestigious Masters and strengthened its strong position in the world rankings (Rank 5). 1998/99 was followed by victory at the Irish Open, the Welsh Open and the Thailand Masters. For the first time, he also reached the final of the World Cup, but it lost to Stephen Hendry at 11:18.
In the season 1999/2000 he made next to the title defense at the Thailand Masters and his first world title with a 18:16 - Final victory over his compatriot Matthew Stevens. For the following season, he was for the first time at No. 1 in the world rankings.
Even in his first season as the reigning world champion and world ranking Leading was very successful. He won the Grand Prix and reached four other finals on the main tour, so he could defend its top position. With the end of the 2001/02 season, in which he the Thailand Masters and the China Open for the first time won for the third time he dropped back to 2.
The 2002/03 season was his most successful provisionally. He won back the UK Championship, the Masters and his second World Cup and took # 1 in the world rankings.
In the years following his successes were rare. 2003/ 04 he won again the Grand Prix, after the end of the season he initially fell back to second place. (In short: MBE) in 2004 in the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire, he was awarded. 2004/ 05, however, he reached then no more Tour Finals. However, at the World Snooker Championship 2005, he scored his first maximum break. After this rather bad season, he fell back to rank 9. The following year he was able to win the China Open and ascend to rank 8.
In the following season, he fell back to 12th, but he won the invitational Pot Black Cup. The 2007/08 season was rather moderate, so that he was out for the 2008/ 09 season only ranked 22. Through solid results he advanced to the 2009/10 season before again on rank 15. On Easter Sunday 2010, he won the China Open after a long time again a world ranking tournament.
In the season 2010/11, Williams returned to his old strength. The first event of the 2010 newly introduced Players Tour Championship ( Minor World Ranking Tournaments) he was able to win against Stephen Maguire. When EPTC Event 3 in Rüsselsheim he managed a second maximum break. At the World Open he reached the semifinals and at the UK Championship, he reached the final, which he narrowly lost to the 9:10 world number one John Higgins after he had already led 9-5. In the German Masters in Berlin then succeeded him in February 2011, another tournament victory that put him in the provisional ranking to position 2. Among other things, by the entry into the semi-finals, he finished at the end of the season again No. 1, which he had last occupied in 2003.
2012 Mark Williams was inducted into the Snooker Hall of Fame. With the Rotterdam Open 2013 he won at the start of the 2013/14 season his second PTC title.
Achievements
Ranking Tournaments
- Snooker World Cup - 2000, 2003
- Welsh Open - 1996, 1999
- Grand Prix / LG Cup - 1996, 2000, 2003
- British Open - 1997
- Irish Open - 1998
- UK Championship - 1999, 2002
- Thailand Masters - 1999, 2000, 2002
- China Open - 2002, 2006, 2010
- German Masters - 2011
Minor - ranking tournaments
- Players Tour Championship - Event 1-2010
- Rotterdam Open - 2013
Invitation Tournaments
- Benson & Hedges Championship - 1994
- Masters - 1998, 2003
- Pot Black Cup - 2006
Other
- Nations Cup - 1999
Personal
Mark Williams is married to Joanne. They have two sons together, Connor (* 2004) and Kian (* 2007).
Williams has a strong match play, which earned him the nickname "The Welsh Potting Machine". This ability helps him a lot about inaccuracies away in his positional play.