Mark Williams to take on Mark Selby in British Open final
- Planet Sport writer
- 1 October 2023
Mark Williams had to fight back after a nervy start in his semi-final clash against Hossein Vafaei to set up a final date with Mark Selby.
The two-time champion admitted he “was totally gone” and was shaking after his Iranian opponent’s brilliant break of 135 saw him close to 4-3 in the opening semi-final.
But Williams composed himself with breaks of 62 and 71 to progress.
“When it got to 4-3 I was gone,” Williams, who won this event in 1997 and 2021, told the World Snooker Tour’s website.
“I don’t know what it was. I was shaking a bit and he had me, he just let me off towards the end.
“I’m quite good at holding my expressions in but I was totally gone. I was shaking a bit, which never happens to me. If I had to play like that all the time then I wouldn’t win many games.
“It was a big game for me. It is another final and I don’t know how many more times I am going to get to the final of these big competitions.”
Williams will face Mark Selby in Sunday’s final after he swept Xiao Guodong 6-0.
READ MORE: Mark Williams storms back to reach British Open quarter-finals
