Mark Williams and Neil Robertson advance to Welsh Open last 16
Mark Williams moved into the Welsh Open last 16 with a 4-1 victory over Martin O'Donnell, compiling three half-century breaks in a match played in testing table conditions. The result keeps Williams in contention as the tournament approaches its knockout phase and sets up a high-profile clash with Barry Hawkins on Thursday at Venue Cymru.
Mark Williams battled 'tough' table conditions
Williams, the two-time former champion, produced breaks of 60, 58 and 57 in the 4-1 win, with a long pot on a red in the fifth frame among the match highlights. The 50-year-old said the cushions were playing fast and that it affected both players' ability to control the cue ball: "I thought I played alright. The conditions were tough, it was flying off the cushions. " He added that he found opportunities when his opponent missed a few chances and that he had a "good break" in the final frame.
The victory keeps alive a long-shot domestic storyline: Williams was the last Welshman to lift the event in 1999, and his progress fuels hopes that a home player might again challenge for the title. Williams will meet Barry Hawkins on Thursday at Venue Cymru for a place in the quarter-finals.
Neil Robertson’s late-session flourish
Fellow multi-time champion Neil Robertson also advanced, defeating Hossein Vafaei 4-1. Robertson recovered after dropping an opening frame that lasted 51 minutes, then won four consecutive frames, one of them decided on the black. He finished strongly with breaks of 100 and 118 in the closing frames and now faces Jak Jones in the next round.
Other notable results and Welsh hopes
Local interest remains high. Jackson Page dug out a 4-3 comeback win over Chang Bingyu, producing a pivotal 101 in the penultimate frame before closing with a 70-22 finish. Jak Jones reached the last 16 with a 4-2 victory over Anthony McGill, while Robbie Williams fought back from 2-0 down to deny Stephen Maguire 4-3.
There were also turnaround performances elsewhere: Jack Lisowski rallied from 3-1 down to beat Xiao Guodong, producing an 83 to force a decider which he then won. David Grace defeated Dylan Emery 4-1, and Wu Yize beat Joe O'Connor 4-2 in a match that featured multiple half-century contributions.
What to watch next
The immediate focus is on Thursday’s last-16 slate at Venue Cymru, where Williams faces Hawkins for a quarter-final berth and Robertson meets Jak Jones. Williams has pointed to the venue’s strong crowds as a boost and said that a run of form can quickly change a tournament: "If I can get on a run, I can start playing some good stuff. " If Williams and other high scorers sustain the break-building shown in these rounds, the tournament could produce several high-quality match-ups as it moves toward the business end.
Uncertainties remain limited to match outcomes; exact session times and table assignments for the remaining matches were noted in coverage and are set for Thursday play at Venue Cymru. Rankings implications and deeper tournament trajectories will become clearer after the last-16 matches are completed.
