Mark Williams Player Profile
Mark Williams Stats
Date of birth: 21 March, 1975
Nationality: Wales
First turned professional: 1992
Highest ranking: 1
Ranking titles: 26
Triple Crown titles: 7
Crucible best: champion (3 times)
Masters appearances: 26
147 breaks: 3
SHQ Stars:
★★★★★★★
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Summary
Mark Williams turned professional at the same time as Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins in 1992.
However, while his contemporaries almost immediately got to grips with life on the professional tour, it took the Welshman a little longer to establish himself.
Williams didn’t win his first ranking title until he landed success on home soil at the 1996 Welsh Open, and his first appearance at the Crucible Theatre wasn’t until a year after that.
But supported by his famed laid back approach, once he finally did reach the summit of the game he was, for a period, an unmovable force.
Williams’ consistency around the turn of the century saw him clinch two world titles, initiate a firm hold on the world number one spot, and go on an incredibe streak of 48 events in which he always won at least his first game.
The pinnacle came during a remarkable period during the 2002/03 snooker season when the Welsh Potting Machine won all three Triple Crown titles.
When he triumphed at the LG Cup at the beginning of the following campaign, he held all four prestigious BBC tournaments at the time.
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In the 15 or so ensuing years there were many ups and downs – the worst of the downs seeing him drop to as low as 47 on the provisional world rankings.
Yet after a decade of underplaying his chances and threatening retirement, an unlikely resurgence occurred during the 2017/18 term.
Victories in the Six Red World Championship, the Northern Ireland Open, and the German Masters reinstilled the confidence he required to make a tilt in Sheffield.
A memorable run to the 2018 world final culminated in arguably the greatest Crucible title decider of them all, beating old foe Higgins 18-16 to land a third world crown – sparking an infamous nude press conference.
An all-time great, Williams is still regularly featuring at the business end of tournaments and collecting silverware.
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Ranking Event Victories
- 1996 Welsh Open
- 1996 Grand Prix
- 1997 British Open
- 1998 Irish Open
- 1999 Welsh Open
- 1999 Thailand Masters
- 1999 UK Championship
- 2000 Thailand Masters
- 2000 World Snooker Championship
- 2000 Grand Prix
- 2002 China Open
- 2002 Thailand Masters
- 2002 UK Championship
- 2003 World Snooker Championship
- 2003 LG Cup
- 2006 China Open
- 2010 China Open
- 2011 German Masters
- 2017 Northern Ireland Open
- 2018 German Masters
- 2018 World Snooker Championship
- 2018 World Open
- 2021 WST Pro Series
- 2021 British Open
- 2023 British Open
- 2024 Tour Championship
Other Notable Victories
- The Masters (1998, 2003)
- Champion of Champions (2024)
- Six Red World Championship (2017)
- Pot Black (2006)
- Nations Cup (1999)
- Minor ranking events (2010 PTC 1, 2013 Rotterdam Open)
Featured photo credit: WST
Mark Williams Player Profile
SHQ Stars: How it works
| Rating | SHQ Stars | Career Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Black | ★★★★★★★ | multiple world champion; 30+ ranking titles; career triple crown; world no.1 (at least 3) |
| Pink | ★★★★★★ | world champion; 10+ ranking titles; multiple winner of triple crown events; member of top 2; 15+ seasons in top 16 (at least 3) |
| Blue | ★★★★★ | winner of triple crown event; 5+ ranking titles; member of top 4; 12+ seasons in top 16 (at least 2) |
| Brown | ★★★★ | 2+ ranking titles; member of top 8; triple crown event finalist; 8+ seasons in the top 16 (at least 2) |
| Green | ★★★ | ranking title; member of top 16 (at least 1) |
| Yellow | ★★ | member of top 64 |
| Red | ★ | professional |
