Mark Williams expressed concern with his depleting energy levels despite reaching the last 32 of the Wuhan Open on Sunday.
The Welshman beat young countryman Liam Davies 5-3 as the season’s third ranking event got under way in China.
Williams appeared to be coasting when he stormed into a 4-0 lead at the mid-session interval with the aid of a hat-trick of century breaks.
It was a very different story after the resumption of play, however, with Davies responding through runs of 61 and 94 to close to within a frame of parity.
The teenager had an opportunity in the eighth frame but ultimately broke down, allowing Williams in to finally move past the winning line.
Despite still regularly reaching the business end of events, including the World Championship at the end of the last campaign, Williams has frequently voiced concerns around his deteriorating condition.
The 50 year-old is still considering laser-eye surgery to fix his eyesight, but the reigning Champion of Champions has also noticed how he has begun to struggle when sessions and matches go longer.
“It could easily have been 4-4 in the end,” a relieved Mark Williams told the World Snooker Tour.
“I am fading really fast in matches now. In the last few especially, I’ve started off playing alright in the first session.”
“[But] the longer the match goes on, I just seem to go downhill. I tire really quick, I don’t know what it is.
“Well I have an idea, but even if I’m ramming in the bananas at the interval and after frames, I’m still fading pretty fast to be honest.
“There’s nothing you can do about it, you’ve just got to get on with it. He came back really well and only wobbled one red or it would have been 4-4.
“I was 4-0 up and cruising, the interval came, and I just faded again. I honestly don’t know how I made that break in the last frame.
“I thought I was going to lose at 4-3 – it looked like it was going to be 4-4. I thought I can’t see how I can win the last frame.
“I just felt like I had nothing left. I done a 60-odd break to clear up, and I don’t know where that came from.
“But I’m over the moon, it came from somewhere.”
Mark Williams will next face Joe O’Connor after the Championship League Snooker runner-up edged Ben Woollaston in a deciding frame.
Mark Selby, Barry Hawkins, and Si Jiahui were among the others to make it through to the last 32 of the event.
There were also several held-over games from the round of 128 that were played, with the big names all safely progressing.
Reigning Wuhan Open champion Xiao Guodong stole the headlines with a superb 147 break during his 5-0 thrashing of Mink Nutcharut.
It had looked as though Zhao Xintong would be replicating that effort, but the world champion botched a routine pink off the spot on 134 during his victory over Iulian Boiko.
Judd Trump, Ding Junhui, and Mark Allen also safeguarded their spots in the last 64 of the tournament.
They will be among the players who are back in the fray on Monday, when the last 32 lineup will be completed.
2025 Wuhan Open Draw
Round of 64 (bo9)
Remaining matches to be played on Monday, August 25th
Xiao Guodong vs Ishpreet Singh Chadha
Elliot Slessor 4-5 David Grace
Marco Fu 5-2 Jimmy White
Louis Heathcote 2-5 Matthew Selt
Xu Si 3-5 Jak Jones
Jamie Jones 4-5 Barry Hawkins
Noppon Saengkham 1-5 Zhou Yuelong
Stan Moody vs Ding Junhui
Mark Williams 5-3 Liam Davies
Joe O’Connor 5-4 Ben Woollaston
Mark Selby 5-2 Michael Holt
David Gilbert 5-0 Haris Tahir
Chang Bingyu 5-3 Liam Highfield
Zhao Hanyang 3-5 Zhang Anda
Jimmy Robertson vs Lei Peifan
Aaron Hill vs Kyren Wilson
Judd Trump vs Liu Hongyu
Jack Lisowski w/o Ryan Day
Shaun Murphy vs Jordan Brown
Gary Wilson 5-0 Lyu Haotian
Haydon Pinhey vs Tom Ford
Reanne Evans w/o Neil Robertson
Artemijs Zizins vs Yuan Sijun
Dylan Emery vs John Higgins
Allan Taylor vs Scott Donaldson
Pang Junxu vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Mark Allen vs Zak Surety
Hossein Vafaei vs Ben Mertens
Jackson Page 5-3 Ali Carter
Wang Yuchen 0-5 Si Jiahui
Wang Xinbo vs Stephen Maguire
Matthew Stevens vs Zhao Xintong
Click here to view the full updated draw (snooker.org)
Featured photo credit: WST
