Mark Williams has admitted he only made the last-minute trip to the Hong Kong Masters for the substantial price, saying he had no chance of beating Neil Robertson in their quarter-final clash.
The Welshman was called up to play in Hong Kong on Wednesday after Zhao Xintong tested positive for Covid after traveling to the tournament.
The three-time world champion flew in from the UK on Thursday and landed only hours before his clash with Robertson, facing the unprepared and nearly sleepless Australian.
The 47-year-old put up an impressive fight, starting the match with a huge break of 133 and making fresh efforts of 80 and 55, but he succumbed to a 5-3 defeat, which he said was inevitable in the circumstances.
However, the eventful journey was worth it for the financial reward, and also to play in the enormous Hong Kong Coliseum, which is set to break the world record for the largest snooker crowd in history with around 9,000 expected. for Sunday’s final.
“I knew I couldn’t win today. Everyone who follows me on Twitter knew I couldn’t win today, all I was looking for was the £22,500. I have to be honest, I knew I couldn’t win,’ Williams told WST.
“I had a lot of chances, but I kept missing easy balls, but I had a few breaks that I didn’t expect.
“It was just nice to play in this arena, maybe I won’t play here again, I don’t know. It’s an arena, absolutely huge and I’m glad I did it at least once.
During her whirlwind visit, Williams explained: “I’m knackered, slept about two hours in two days.” I arrived at my hotel room around 10:30am and was picked up at 11:45am to come and play my game.
“I knew I wasn’t going to win, but I tried my best and managed to knock him down three frames. [It was] Odd. Without this prize money, I would not have come.
Robertson had to play well to beat Williams, with the Australian taking a huge 140 break in the fifth frame and had sympathy for his opponent given his situation.
“I felt a little bit for him because he came at the last minute. He only came a few hours before our game and then in the first frame he made 133, it was absolutely incredible,” said said Robertson.
“I thought I better carry on too, I’ve done a few centuries myself and when you play in front of a big crowd like this it’s important to play the game the right way and in a way that fans will really appreciate it.
“Going out and doing a first frame of 133 was really amazing. I think at the end of the game he maybe got a little tired, but he still played a very good game and I also did my part.
On the vast arena of Hong Kong, the defending Masters champion said: “Absolutely incredible. We heard about this arena before going out. Seeing so many people here today is amazing.
“The playing conditions were magnificent and the crowd was incredible. It was like a tennis stadium or something, absolutely amazing.
Robertson will now face Ronnie O’Sullivan or Ng On Yee in the semi-final on Saturday, while Marco Fu and John Higgins will meet in the other semi-final.
AFTER : Marco Fu scores ‘special’ win at Hong Kong Masters after thinking his snooker career was over
MORE: Mark Williams takes manic schedule after Hong Kong Masters last-minute call-up
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