World Championship 2025: Mark Williams excited for 'dream match-up' with fellow Class of 92 John Higgins in quarter-finals at The Crucible
By Alex Livie
Published 26/04/2025 at 23:08 GMT+1
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Time waits for no one, but John Higgins and Mark Williams continue to fight against it. With a combined age of 99 years, the pair are set to meet in the quarter-finals of the World Championship at the Crucible. Williams is relishing the prospect of the occasion. Watch and stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+
'An unbelievable break' - Williams delighted to clinch win over Vafaei with century
Video credit: TNT Sports
Mark Williams is relishing the prospect of a "dream match-up" with John Higgins in the quarter-finals of the World Championship.
Higgins and Williams are two of snooker’s fabled Class of 92, along with Ronnie O’Sullivan, and are still going strong 33 years after turning professional.
Williams got the better of a tight battle with Hossein Vafaei in round two, and it was a similar story for Higgins in his clash with Xiao Guodong, which he edged 13-12.
They are now set to lock horns in the last-eight at the Crucible, with the match kicking off on Tuesday - live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Williams was delighted to see Higgins come through and is revved up for the challenge.
"What an occasion, me and him," Williams told TNT Sports. "He's nearly 50 years of age, I am 50.Â
"Quarter-finals of a World Championship, 33 years and still going strong, it’s just a dream match-up."
Williams and Higgins met at the Masters in 2022, and the roof almost came off the Alexandra Palace. The Welshman, who edged that match 6-5, is hoping for something similar.
"The reception would probably be like the Masters when we played in 2022, and we had a standing ovation," Williams said. "I would just love to play in that atmosphere again. Come on the old boys.Â
"The last few times I have come here, I am just trying to enjoy the moments because I don't know how many times I will be back. I don't know how I am still playing to a fairly decent level."
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Reflecting on his win over Vafaei, Williams was thrilled with how he closed out the contest with a century.
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'What a way to win it' - Williams wraps up victory over Vafaei in style with century
Video credit: TNT Sports
"This afternoon, the final session, the first four frames could have gone either way," Williams said. "I can't believe I made a century [in the final frame], it did not seem a match-winning break was on.Â
"To make 100 in the last frame, it’s an unbelievable break, really.
"I potted some really good balls, missed some absolute sitters, but that is what I do now. Once I miss a sitter, I’ve just got to forget about it."
Watch and stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+
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