It's been four years since Mark Williams last appeared in a ranking tournament final - far too long for a player of his class.
Williams has been solid all week and seems to have rediscovered his self confidence after returning to the elite top 16 having dropped out two years ago.
He has won five ranking titles in Asia, including the China Open in 2002 and 2006.
But Ding Junhui will be tough to beat. The 23 year-old Chinese is appearing in his third ranking event final from the five tournaments staged so far this season.
There would be no more popular winner in China. He looks completely in control, match sharp and relaxed and is playing well enough to emulate his 2005 Beijing triumph.
Ding is up against one of modern snooker's toughest ever match players but, if he stays positive, can outlast Williams today.
Win or lose, a huge viewing audience in China is guaranteed.
NB: The final session is live on Eurosport 2.
11 comments:
Interesting final, in that it will mean far more to both players than a regular ranking final usually would.
For Ding the significance is obvious. Home country, Partisan crowds, and hundreds of millions of chjnese viewers.
Williams, on the other hand, whose status in the game has suffered a huge decline in recent years, will be desperate to get back to the winners podium, silencing the critics who wrote him off so prematurely.
Hard one to call. Ding is the obvious favourite, but it'll all be down to who can control the nerves on the day, as they both appear to be in cracking form.
Anyway, Im out to make a cuppa before watchng battle.
May the best man win
Also, Ding will have beaten all the
classic champions, in finals, if he wins this one!
Congratulations for Mark Williams, great performance in a great match! His potting in that second session was excellent even for his standards. Ding played beautifully for a whole week, but now Mark proved he's the best man of the tournament.
And it feels good to see him back on the top.
Mark Williams back from the dead - on Easter Sunday too!
Some Top, Top Snooker played, really enjoyed the final.
Mark Williams is back in Town. He's Cueing as sweet as I've ever seen him Cue.
Congratulations to Mark on winning the China Open at 35.Coming back after dropping out of the top 16. This must be his biggest achievement in snooker or it's in the top 2.He has always been blessed with immense talent and almost the perfect temperament for snooker.So glad he re-applied himself and put in a huge amount of work on the practice table.It's a sign of a true champion.It really is a sight to behold when Mark is in full flow as he was in this final.Can't wait to see more in the World Championships - magic!
Snooker © The Fine Art Method
A secret is wasted if not shared
Hello Dave
Congratulations to Mark Williams, great show lad. Not so much for winning a trophy but for breaking that silly pause on the back swing.
It has taken a full four years to get rid lad. It takes a long time to break any habit. I wonder if Mark was just lucky with a “Trial and Error” approach in practice.
If Stephen Hendry takes the same practice routine he has a great chance of making another three or four world titles as he is the worlds best player.
The only catch for Stephen is that he will need Marks help, as four years is a long time with the “Trial and Error” routine. The cue action to replace the pause has probable taken more than a year and still not detailed; therefore not correct every time. Mr hey you
PS A sometimes successful bad habit is obviously hard to break DM
garbage, mr a u, pure garbage!
so, Stephen can get it all back as long as he gets MJWs help?
utter rubbish!
i cant believe anyone thinks this guys talks any sense at all.
next he will be telling us balls cant roll...
Snooker © The Fine Art Method
A secret is wasted if not shared
Dear Messer’s @ 12:15 and 1:33 PM -Hello Dave
Please pay attention for your first lesson in physics. Balls cannot roll, nor can they be made to Roll on a level surface. The balls are moved by thrust forces.
The fact that snooker the currant thread hasn’t noticed this for over one hundred years doesn’t make it less true.
If Jimmy White was to say that balls are attracted to the bags only with red chalk you would never use the green chalk again.
You two “Doubting Thomases” may read about the “Rolling Balls” as soon as it is published in all books on physics. Mr hey you
rewriting physics mr a u style
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