Mark Williams has become the oldest player ever to win a snooker ranking tournament to propel above Ronnie O'Sullivan in the world rankings
08:51, 15 Oct 2025
Mark Williams insists he has no idea how he is still winning tournaments at 50. The three-time world champion became snooker’s oldest rankings title winner after a comprehensive defeat of Shaun Murphy in the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix.
Williams, at 50 years and 206 days, raced to a 10-3 victory to beat the record of fellow Welshman Ray Reardon, who won the Professional Players Tournament in 1982, a fortnight after his 50th birthday. Williams has now won 27 times at the top level and becomes the first man to triumph in his teens, 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s.
Having been frustrated with the manner of his semi-final win over Daniel Wells, he upped his game emphatically to secure the £177,000 winners’ prize. The left-hander took each of the first four frames and responded to his first setback by taking three in a row to reach the session break with a commanding 7-1 lead.
Murphy took two of the first three frames after the restart but Williams soon finished off the job, in the process moving ahead of Ronnie O’Sullivan to go fourth in the world rankings. Williams, who admits to rarely practising, is at a loss to explain his longevity.
“It’s amazing that I am still winning tournaments,” he admitted. “I don't know how I’m doing it because I am not practising enough to really compete in the later stages of tournaments.
“I try to play as much as I can while I’m at venues. And you have to scrape me off the table until the last ball is potted. Somehow the three of us in the Class of 92 [along with John Higgins and O’Sullivan] are still going.”
Williams’ famously relaxed attitude has contributed to his continued success. But while he insists he “doesn’t care” if he loses, he remains a competitive animal at the table.
“I try my absolute hardest when I'm out there, trying to win every game,” he said. “Of course I care, I want to win. But if I lose, I don’t care, that’s no moaning or dwelling on it.
“If you beat yourself up when you lose, then you will struggle in this game. If more players took the same attitude they might see a bit of improvement.”