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UK’s Mark Williams Becomes the Fifth Player to Win 20 Ranking Events

by D. Djokic  ·  February 11, 2018

The Welshman Mark Williams joins the most elite snooker winners’ club. Earlier this week, Mark managed to win the German Masters, his 20th ranking event win. This made him only the fifth player in the world to achieve this accomplishment.

Williams faced the Scott, Graeme Dott, in the finals of the German Masters in Berlin. He managed to beat Graeme swiftly, winning nine frames and giving the Scott just one. After this victory, Mark joined the likes of Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, and Steve Davis.

However, just a year ago, it seemed that the 42-year-old Welshman would never achieve this goal. For a long time, Mark wasn’t a betting apps’ favourite and he couldn’t win a ranking event.

You see, before 2017, Williams had a 6-year dry spell. He even considered retiring. And if it wasn’t for his wife persuading him to continue, he wouldn’t be in the hall of fame.

But everything turned for the better in 2017 after winning the Northern Ireland Open. That was his first ranking event win after six years. Just a couple of months later he dominated the German Masters and entered snooker’s ultimate winners’ club.

In his recent interview for the BBC Sport, Mark said, “I said years ago when I was on 18 wins that getting to 20 was my aim and that it would be amazing if I could get there. I thought I would never do it, I thought I would be forever stuck on 18, but luckily enough I’ve made it.”

He later added, “What a turnaround, it is amazing really. You’ve got to put a lot of work in, and I have done, and now I’m reaping the rewards. It sounds great to be a champion again; I have totally transformed the way I approach the game. Eight months ago I would have thought winning two events would be impossible.”

Congrats Mark, and let’s hope you win some more.