Mark Williams says he is pleased to have made it into the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Championship and is hopeful of keeping his form going in his match against Ali Carter. Williams, who is the oldest player left in the tournament at 43, eased past Englishman Robert Wilkins in round two with a 13-7 win and booked his place in the last-eight stage for the first time since 2016.
The Welshman, a two-time winner of the event in Sheffield, made nine breaks over 50, including a brilliant century in frame 17, and he is priced at 7/1 to lift the trophy for the first time since 2003. Next up for the ‘Welsh Wonder’ is a clash against Ronnie O’Sullivan’s conquerer Carter, who is enjoying his best run at the tournament since being beaten in the final back in 2012. The 38-year-old overcame the ‘Rocket’ 13-9 in round two but, despite ousting arguably the greatest player to grace the game, he is the outsider at 12/1 to come out on top at the Crucible.
Ahead of the quarter-final clash, Williams admits he slipped up a few times during his second-round match but he is hoping he can kick on and book his place in the semi-final. “I let the conditions get to me and I don’t really why. But the last session was pretty much how I have been playing all season,” he was quoted as saying by BBC Sport. “We’re in the quarter-finals now I am just looking forward to playing. “If I can carry on the way I finished off then I will be much happier.” Williams is the 4/9 favourite to move into the next stage of the competition whilst Carter is the slight outsider at 13/8.
Snooker odds available at Dafabet.