Zhao Xintong v Mark Williams: World Snooker Championship final – live
Key events
Williams 5-11 Xintong (23-43 Mark does, though, take on a longun to right corner, and when he misses that, he’ll be fearing the worst. I fancied Zhao for this, pretty strongly, but I didn’t think it’d be the hiding that now looks likely. As I type, he sends a lovely recovery-blue into the yellow bag … only to lose the white potting the next ball and jaws a pink! Mark returns to the table with two reds on black cush.
Williams 5-11 Xintong (15-14) Nope, and I’m not surprised. Miss and he’s not going to be world champion; refuse and you never know.
Williams 5-11 Xintong (15-14) On nothing, though, he plays safe, then leaves Mark a dart to left corner; down goes the opener. A thin cut with the rest, on the black, then keeps him at the table, but the next shot is a toughie too, a red down the side but not on the rail … and it stays out, just. Zhao, though, can’t properly capitalise, forced to play safe; Mark then gets in again, and will he take on a vile blue, knowing he’s leaving all sorts?
Williams 5-11 Xintong (6-1) Zhao can’t snick to left-middle; Mark can cut to the yellow bag, but as the white retreats, we enjoy our first “WHERE IS THE CUT-BALL GOING!” of the final. But off the blue, he can’t cut from left side to right corner, so his opponent wobbles in an opener.
Williams 5-11 Xintong Zhao is unreal, an irresistible, compelling mesh of opposites: joyful and calm, precise and carefree. Mark must win the last frame of the evening – there is one – to have even a sniff tomorrow.
Williams 5-10 Xintong (6358) It’s blue to yellow, then colours off their spots; Zhao doesn’t look over-exicted nor does he look nervous; he’s a bouncing bundle of precision. Black for the dish….
Williams 5-10 Xintong (63-31) Zhao plays a lovely cannon to open out reds, the colours are on their spots, and we’ve a new favourite for the frame; Ken trots out the cliche quicker than I can type it.
Williams 5-10 Xintong (63-16) Too straight to get from blue into pack, Mark instead plays for a loose one mid-distance, he’s on it, it’s frame-ball … and he leaves it over the bag! I didn’t see that coming, but you can only chase for so long. And make no mistake, though the corrections weren’t big ones, he was making them every shot. If Zhao dishes here, Mark’ll do well not to barf up the entirety of his insides; I daresay he’s feeling a touch peaky already.
Williams 5-10 Xintong (58-0) A lax positional shot means a blue tickled home dead-weight, a red to right corner follows and he’s on to the black. But can he get from that on to the red at the bottom of the pack – or rather, does it go? I think it does, so does he, and by binning it he liberates more balls. Mark’s under pressure here, chasing a little because he’s trying to make sure of every pot, but doing just enough with every recovery. What a competitor he is.
Williams 5-10 Xintong (17-0) Earlier this evening, John Parrott suggested there’d be 17 frames today, not 16; it may have been a miscount, so I’m not sure whether or not this is the last frame of the day. Either way, though, Mark must win it, so he attempts a double off Zhao’s break … and it’s there. He then takes a while working out whether a red cuts to left corner … decides it does, and … lovely shot. There are still a fair few loose reds.
Williams 5-10 Xintong A 102 from Zhao, and these are scary hours for Mark J. It’s funny, with most players – Mark included, but all the best ones – you can tell when they’re focusing extra-hard to win a big frame. Check out Shaun Murphy in that kind of situation. Zhao, though, seems carefree in the balls – he really, really loves potting them – just letting it flow, not having to think about reminding himself not to think.
Williams 5-9 Xintong (23-91) Here comes another ton.
Williams 5-9 Xintong (23-74) Zhao’s so good at converting starts to telling contributions. Again: I’m yet to discern a weakness in his game or make-up but if someone with a better technical eye than me has any suggestions, please send em in.
Williams 5-9 Xintong (23-44) Off the brown, Zhao cannons the pack and the shot works out beautifully. I actually checked out the odds on him to win after he smacked Jak Jones in round one as, with Kyren Wilson gone, the top half of the draw was suddenly underpowered. 4/1 was what I found, so I let it be; I’m regretting that now.
Williams 5-9 Xintong (23-7) Mark’s long game has been much improved tonight, and again, he essays a long starter with composed precision, sliding dead slow into left corner. It’s soon into the pack and is he on one? There a cut from high on the left side, diagonally to the green bag … it clips one edge … then the other … and down it goes! The crowd, who of course love themselves a bitta Mark J, roar their appreciation, but he’s soon forced to play safe having run out of position … or will he try a narrow cut past the black? Oooh, it’s the latter, and you can see right away he’s undercut it … it flicks the black and will that take it in? Almost. Zhao, though, who hasn’t potted for 27 minutes, must now find a red to roll into the one that’s over the bag because he can’t get at it otherwise … and it stays out. So Mark goes hard at an oblique one to right corner, careers into the pack, and leaves a starter; Zhao plays it beautifully, slotting to middle then sneaking off the side and between black and pack to get on the next ball. A decent contribution here will guarantee him a decent overnight lead.
Williams 5-9 Xintong Again, Mark closes to within four; last time he did that, Zhao then won two to get back to six, and if he manages that again, it’ll take a collapse for the ages to stop him becoming China’s first world champion sometime tomorrow.
Williams 4-9 Xintong (69-0) A fine cut with the spider puts the frame beyond doubt.
Williams 4-9 Xintong 681-0) There are three loose reds and four together; if Mark deals with the former, he won’t need the latter, and that he does. A delicate cut-black and it’s snookers required … it clips the near jaw … and is going so slowly, it drops. Relief for TWPM.
Williams 4-9 Xintong (31-0) A red to left-centre, across the table, offers the chance to float back up the table to remove a red that’s blocking off the black, and this is now a frame-winning opportunity.
Williams 4-9 Xintong (1-0) Mark leaves a longun off the break but Zhao hits the near jaw of right corner; chance for Mark, reds nicely split.
Williams 4-9 Xintong Zhao misses a red and concedes. Mark, knowing he has to force the issue, is going after almost everything.
Williams 3-9 Xintong When Mark runs out of position, Zhao returns to the table needing four four-point snookers; it’s not clear why.
Williams 3-9 Xintong (55-14) Mark steers long to clip into right corner and is playing much better tonight; problem he has is much better isn’t good enough. He’s relying on hitting his lights-out best, or on Zhao having a stinker at some point, neither of which seem that likely. Meantime, though, the frame is his.
Williams 3-9 Xintong (40-14) Mark builds with characteristic fastidiousness only to run out of position; rather than play safe, he attacks a long green – the kind he played as youth but treats with greater trepidation now he’s struggling with seeing well. That’s the pressure Zhao exerts – the scores comes so freely, a vet like Mark J feels obliged to take stuff on when he’s in. And he clips home a beauty, but then, taking on a nasty cut, lands on nowt; end of break.
“Not sure if this has been floated before,” writes Hugh Molloy, “but it would be great to see the embrace of China in snooker with a Ryder Cup style competition. It’s always a different feel in golf to that competition with the real team mentality, more player interaction and learning about the characters. Golf style pairs, alternate shots, alternate frames, singles to finish, crowd a bite edgier and swapping locations each time. GB and Ireland v China? Europe v Asia? What do we think?”
Team sport is less compelling when forced upon individual pursuits – the Ryder Cup works, I think, significantly because of how familiar we are with American culture and the nature of American golf culture. But yup, I’d watch.
Williams 3-9 Xintong (2-14) Mark thunders a starter to left corner, then snuggles up to the black; Zhao plays off the side and into the pack. Thinking about what four frames we just saw, you’ve got to admire those two balls he sent to the yellow bag, fantastic efforts in any circumstance, but given he’d twice missed a similar shot, the stones to attack it at full space are extremely impressive. Meantime, Mark misses to middle so Zhao cracks home an opener … then shortly afterwards overcuts black to corner! Mark must punish the oversight.
Interval email: Wow, that Hendry clip really took me back,” retiurns Simon McMahon. “He was virtually unbeatable for a while in the 90s. (Phil) Taylor-esque. Loved him, and love snooker, especially this tournament, but I wonder if that’s because I grew up in the 8os? The iconic images from that decade are imprinted in my mind, Davis’s first title in 81, Higgins’s tears (and of course his all-time great green shirt with brown collars) in 82, the Taylor black-ball final in 85, Joe Johnson winning the following year. Then of course Hendry and White in the 90s, seven titles for Hendry, none for Jimmy, not forgetting his missed black off the spot in 94. Sure, John Higgins, Williams, O’Sullivan and Selby have kept the fire burning, but with talk of leaving the Crucible, I worry a bit, a lot actually, for the future of snooker, in this country at least. What say you?”
I’m a little younger than you – 1984 is the first year I remember. But Hendry’s line after Jimmy’s missed black has stuck with me – “I couldn’t get out my chair fast enough”. I think, though, that snooker is doing pretty well with good attendances at lots of the competition. It’ll never hit the heights of the golden era because there are so many telly channels to distract casual fans, and when ronnie turns it in it’ll be a problem, but darts is thriving without Taylor.
Williams 3-9 Xintong Zhao misses a black but Mark doesn’t return to the table. He’s got problems; we’ll be back in 15.
Williams 3-8 Xintong (0-68) That break in the last frame gave Zhao a bit of confidence – every session is a new day, whatever the score – and he’s cueing much better now. If Mark can’t do better after the interval, he’ll need to do something absolutely spectacular tomorrow to even get close.
Williams 3-8 Xintong (0-32) Mark then offers a longun to the yellow bag … and Zhao strikes home lovelilily, avoiding blue and yellow, then sends a similar ball down the same hole. The way the balls are, this is a chance to level the mini-sesh at 2-2 and, as we said, because of what happened this afternoon, that’d be an absolute result for him.
Williams 3-8 Xintong (0-18) Off the break, Mark leaves a longun … and Zhao creeeaaaams it into left corner with intense prejudice. Then, a lovely positional shot off the yellow brings him back up the table for the next ball only for his split to go wrong. He is, though, on a red to centre, slots it confidently, then a pink … only to lose control of the white, a springy bounce off the cushion forcing him to play safe.
Williams 3-8 Xintong He cannot, but he’ll be happy to restore his five-frame advantage and feel like he’s in the session.
Williams 3-7 Xintong (9-68) Zhao secures the frame, his first of the evening; can he underline his backness by recording a third ton?
Williams 3-7 Xintong (9-61) This is an important settler for Zhao, who knows he can happily split the sessions from here on in. The frame is almost his.
Williams 3-7 Xintong (9-29) Back in good old 1992, Mark was a blazing long-potter, and he essays one off the break … and it’s there! An absolute humdinger! But he can’t sink black, so know Zhao is at the table scoring, and the thought occurs, that his nickname, The Cyclone, ought really to be The Babyfaced Assassin; he looks miles off his 28 years. Anyhow, he soon misses one he shouldn’t, overcutting to left corner, and can Mark capitalise? He’ll have to chop a red just above the top cushion to right corner … and leaves it on the lip and insurance for his opponent. This is a big visit for Zhao, who hasn’t got going this evening; the table could scarcely be friendlier.
Williams 3-7 Xintong Indeed he is. Mark would’ve aimed for a 3-1 mini-sesh and needs one of the next two to make that happen. For the first time, Zhao is struggling.
Williams 2-7 (57-8) Xintong Has momentum shifted? Zhao responds poorly to Mark’s cunning, leaves a long red, and down it goes … only for a dead-weight black to stop short. But he’s soon offered another go, Zhao sending the blue in-off, and this should be TWPM another one frame closer.
Williams 2-7 Xintong (37-8) Good pot to get on to the green, then it’s into the pack But coming off the side for fear of potting the pink he cannot welease weds, so it’s a safety and end of break. Zhao then creams home a starter and, on nowt, lays a snooker behind yellow and brown; Mark’s escape, off three cushions and on to the bottom of the cluster last roll, is a work of art.
Williams 2-7 (21-7) Xintong Now then. Zhao tries sending one long to the yellow bag and doesn’t get close; Mark tidies, and if he can break the pack nicely, the frame will be there for him. In the meantime, though, he picks around the fringes.
Williams 2-7 Xintong (15-7) Zhao cues across one to left corner so Mark sinks to the same bag; if he can bin a nasty black along the rail, he’s in … and he plays it beautifully. This is much more like it, except, as I type, Mark misses a pink to middle, leaving an opener and other loose balls – though the black is tied up and so is the pink now it’s been potted
Williams 2-7 Xintong He cannot, but he won’t mind. He needed this frame and it’s his, but the same applies to the next.
Williams 1-7 Xintong (69-0) Mark makes the frame safe failing snookers, then eases a tight one to middle by way of insurance. Can he underline his renaissance by recording a ton?
