MARK WILLIAMS PUNCHES CUE IN DRAMATIC WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIPS LOSS TO SI JIAHUI
Mark Williams let his frustrations get the better of him in his tense first-round World Snooker Championships defeat to young Chinese star Si Jiahui when he punched his cue after a missed pot and offered the stick to a spectator.
This year's World Snooker Championships has already offered up some dramatic ties with Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, Ali Carter and Gary Wilson among the top 10 seeds already knocked out.
Williams was given a difficult draw against 21-year-old Si, who made it all the way to the semi-finals in his debut at the world championships last year.
The Chinese star is considered the best youngster on the circuit, but Williams also came into the Triple Crown event in great form having beaten Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the Tour Championship recently.
It set up a a fascinating first-round tie that didn't disappoint with nothing separating them after the first 10 frames.
But Si went on a run of winning consecutive frames to put himself in control of the match as Williams struggled to find his range.
The Welshman had a chance to get back in the match at 7-5 down with what was seen as a routine red into the middle pocket.
However, Williams missed the red as it cannoned off the knuckle of the pocket and back into the middle of the table.
The audience gasped as the red failed to drop with Williams taking his frustration out on his cue.
The 49-year-old punched his cue and gritted his teeth as he returned to his chair before jokingly handing over the stick to a member of the audience.
Si went on to wrap up the frame to take a commanding 8-5 lead but nerves began to show for the youngster as Williams capitalised to close in.
Both players were guilty of missing routine shots, but Williams did enough to stay in the match with a deciding frame needed to separate them.
The three-time world champion had the first real opportunity to build a break, but adrenaline got the better of him as he missed a red into the middle pocket.
Si was able to fully capitalise with some brilliant shots, but he had to scramble at times after losing the cue ball a few times.
He eventually got the job done after a nervy long pink into the green pocket before pulling ahead to leave Williams needing snookers.
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Si ended with a break of 77 and Williams got out of his seat to concede, meaning there is now just five of the top-10 players left in the tournament after the first round.
Judd Trump eased through to the second round with a 10-5 win over Hossein Vafaei while Shaun Murphy got through with the same scoreline against Lyu Haotian.
Ronnie O'Sullivan will be looking to join them in the second round when he takes on Jackson Page on Wednesday.
2024-04-23T17:50:53Z dg43tfdfdgfd