Welsh Open 2021 LIVE - Ronnie O'Sullivan v Mark Williams in epic semi-final clash

Updated 20/02/2021 at 21:48 GMT

Welsh Open 2021 LIVE - It's semi-final day at Celtic Manor! Stephen Maguire and Jordan Brown open Saturday’s action at 1pm GMT before a monster clash between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams from 7pm GMT. With Judd Trump an early casualty, the tournament is wide open heading into the penultimate day.

Sullivan-Williams | Snooker | ESP Player Feature

Image credit: Eurosport

Thanks for your company tonight

We'll be back with you from 12.45pm tomorrow for all the build-up and action from the final. Take care out there until then, night night.

The final

Welsh Open

Trump plays shot of ‘sublime inspiration’ – how did he do this?!

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O'Sullivan will be the red hot favourite tomorrow as he chases his fifth Welsh Open victory, which will equal the record currently held by John Higgins. Jordan Brown, in his first ever ranking event final, will have it all on to beat him. After seeing off Mark Selby and Stephen Maguire in the last two days though, he's in good form. A fascinating final awaits us tomorrow. Our sessions tomorrow for the best of 17 final will be:

Afternoon session: 1.00pm (eight frames)

Evening session: 7.00pm (to a finish)

Ronnie O'Sullivan is through to the Welsh Open final

Ronnie has had his business face on all week in Newport. After losing the opening frame of the match tonight he swept Mark Williams off the table by winning six frames in a row; he's now won 21 of the 23 frames that he's contested at Celtic Manor this year. Williams applied pressure to him in a couple of frames but never relocated the rhythm he showed in the first frame. It takes O'Sullivan's record in the head-to-head between the two to 32 wins to eight.

O'Sullivan 6-1 Williams

After a brief safety battle O'Sullivan drops in the last red from distance, and Williams concedes frame and match.

O'Sullivan 5-1 Williams (69-30)

A couple of red-pinks for Williams mean it would now need one four point snooker to tie. He puts 30 together before laying a snooker on the final red, but it's an easy escape for O'Sullivan. We go on.

O'Sullivan 5-1 Williams (69-0)

The break hits 69, and Williams now needs a snooker. O'Sullivan misses his next red from distance, and Mark J will play on with 67 left on the table.

O'Sullivan 5-1 Williams (51-0)

He wants this done now; Ronnie is purring around the table. It's a half ton already, and a red through a narrow gap between two others lands him on the pink.

O'Sullivan 5-1 Williams (21-0)

Williams misses a long red to the bottom left, and watches it glide around the table and sit up over the green pocket for O'Sullivan. It's a good chance, and O'Sullivan is quickly into the pack off the black, on a break of 21 and counting so far.

O'Sullivan 5-1 Williams

O'Sullivan doubles the blue, and Williams concedes. One more frame will put Ronnie into the final.

O'Sullivan 4-1 Williams (60-40)

O'Sullivan clears up to the green, and with the brown close the left rail he tries a double to the right middle, which misses. Williams then takes on a difficult brown to the green pocket, but he's missed it and O'Sullivan steps in to mop it up. Williams now needs a snooker.

O'Sullivan 4-1 Williams (44-40)

Two great shots in a row from Williams here, with a thin cut on a long red to the bottom left and then a deadweight pink into the yellow pocket. It's part of a 21 that puts him back in front, but he then misses a thin red into the bottom left and leaves it for Ronnie. A red and pink go down, followed by a snooker on the last red that Williams escapes from but leaves on to the left middle. Trouble.

O'Sullivan 4-1 Williams (37-19)

It's another awkward table, from which O'Sullivan makes 24 before overscrewing so wildly on a red near the right rail that he runs past the baulk line and lands on nothing. That's end of break, and there are still five reds out there.

O'Sullivan 4-1 Williams (13-19)

After a long safety exchange in which Williams gives away four, O'Sullivan powers a red into the right middle but can't land on a colour. It's Williams that gets the first big chance, clipping a red into the bottom right, but on 19 he then misses a red into the bottom left and leaves it in the jaws for O'Sullivan.

O'Sullivan 4-1 Williams

After close on nine minutes of tense safety, a red pops out over towards the bottom right and O'Sullivan clips it in. He's on the brown too, and clears the pocket by hammering it in. A touch of frustration being vented there, I'd say. O'Sullivan's composed enough to mop up what he needs though, clearing up to the brown for a break of 30 that banks another frame.

O'Sullivan 3-1 Williams (31-27)

Williams gets red-black away, before both players get bogged down in a stalemate. The brown is in the jaws of the bottom left, with the last three reds and the blue all within centimetres of it. Will referee Paul Collier offer a re-rack? At the moment it's a lot of close-quarters nudging and thin contacts; it's very hard to see how we get out of this.

O'Sullivan 3-1 Williams (31-19)

On 31 O'Sullivan catches the black with his shirt when he misses a long blue. It's a nightmare of a table for Williams though as brown, blue, pink and black are all tied up and four reds are out of commission. He cobbles four together before playing safe, and then at his next visit he crashes in a long red and brings the black out. He then misses the black and leaves it in the jaws of the yellow pocket, but O'Sullivan can't cut in a red to get on it. This one is a right mess.

O'Sullivan 3-1 Williams (12-7)

We're back out, and Williams is still throwing his cue at pots. He booms in a red into the bottom left, followed by clattering into the pack when potting the blue. He soon misses a thump on a brown to the green pocket though, and O'Sullivan is in again.

O'Sullivan 3-1 Williams

Williams tries to double the red in via the blue near the bottom left, but it misses and sits up over the left middle. O'Sullivan plugs frame ball and dishes up to the brown for a 3-1 lead at the interval. We'll be back in 15 minutes.

O'Sullivan 2-1 Williams (61-27)

It's red-pink for O'Sullivan, but he can't get on the final red and plays it around the angles instead. Williams needs red, black and colours to win, red, pink and colours to tie.

O'Sullivan 2-1 Williams (54-27)

O'Sullivan goes in-off, Williams plugs a red, and then from an ensuing snooker O'Sullivan fails to escape and Williams is in with a red to the left middle. There's a flicker of a chance for him here. A superb long pink uses all of the green pocket to drop in, but he misses one of the two remaining reds and he's served up the frame for O'Sullivan.

O'Sullivan 2-1 Williams (54-1)

It's another half-century, and it's been hard work with the black and blue tied up. On 54 O'Sullivan is forced to play safe, but it's a commanding lead with the balls situated as they are.

O'Sullivan 2-1 Williams (22-1)

Williams has decided to go for everything tonight. He booms in a long red, but can't do likewise with the blue to green pocket from distance and he's left Ronnie gun barrel straight on a mid-ranger to the bottom right. It's driven in, and he's off again. A brilliant red to right middle keeps the break going when it looked like he'd run out of position, and he's motoring now.

O'Sullivan 2-1 Williams

A blue to right middle secures the frame, and he stuns down from it to split the reds beneath the pink. In total he makes 77, and takes the lead in the match.

O'Sullivan 1-1 Williams (53-0)

A black takes O'Sullivan to a rapid-fire half ton, off which he screws back well off the side cushion to drift by the pack and land on his next red. He's crafted this break very nicely indeed.

O'Sullivan 1-1 Williams (23-0)

Williams misses a long red at the start of the third, leaving O'Sullivan a tricky red into the bottom right. Ronnie strokes that in, followed by a much harder black into the bottom left, and within seconds he's crafted a great chance for himself.

O'Sullivan 1-1 Williams

It's the first century of the match as a 102 from O'Sullivan levels the score.

O'Sullivan 0-1 Williams (70-1)

That's O'Sullivan over the line in the frame. This is an intriguing start, with a decent frame-winning break from both players and a fearless attitude to long pots. We could be in for a good night here.

O'Sullivan 0-1 Williams (54-1)

O'Sullivan's break goes to 41, and there's still a load on here. He's a couple of reds away from levelling this up.

O'Sullivan 0-1 Williams (26-1)

Williams blasts in a plant from right out of the centre of the pack, sending reds everywhere. He can't follow up with the blue though, rattling it furiously in the jaws of the yellow pocket, and he's left it all on for O'Sullivan.

O'Sullivan 0-1 Williams (13-0)

Williams plays his now familiar break and drops the cue ball off the bottom cushion with side to rest on the base of the pack. A few shots later though he leaves Ronnie the long red he hoped to avoid leaving off the break, and in it goes. O'Sullivan makes 13 before a split on the pack doesn't work and he has to play safe.

O'Sullivan 0-1 Williams

Ronnie gets a few pots down, Mark J takes the frame.

O'Sullivan 0-0 Williams (1-73)

It's a break of 73 for Williams, and it'll be enough for the frame with only three reds left. Ronnie will play on to get his arm moving, but he'll be one behind shortly.

O'Sullivan 0-0 Williams (1-52)

A pink into the bottom right brings up the half-century for Williams, who looks in good touch here. All remaining reds are in the open.

O'Sullivan 0-0 Williams (1-20)

Williams gets in after Ronnie pots the opening red via a plant but proceeds to miss a black off its spot. A booming red into the bottom white with screw jars open the pack and lands him on the blue; this is a great chance now.

We're off

Here we go then, best of 11 for a place in tomorrow's final.

Pre-match talk

In his Eurosport interview, Williams is frank about Ronnie being the better player. In the head-to-head between then, O'Sullivan has 31 wins to Williams's 8. Oof, as they say. If Williams can make the final though, he'll have the chance to win his home tournament in the same week of the passing of Welsh snooker legend Doug Mountjoy.

Do you remember the last time?

The last meaningful game between these two quadragenarians was at the Crucible in August, edged 13-10 by O’Sullivan after Williams had led 6-2 and 8-4.

The CVs

Ronnie has six world championships, 20 triple crowns and 37 ranking event titles to his name. He’s snagged the Welsh Open crown four times.

Mark has three world championships, seven triple crowns and 22 ranking event titles to his name. He’s snagged the Welsh Open Crown twice.

Pretty good, ain’t they?

Good evening!

Welcome to live coverage of the second semi-final in the Welsh Open. Jordan Brown is already in tomorrow’s final after his 6-1 demolition of Stephen Maguire this afternoon, and it will be one of the fabled Class of 92 that will face him. Ronnie O’Sullivan versus Mark Williams, coming up.

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Thanks for your company

That's one finalist sorted out, join us again from 6.45pm for the Class of 92 showdown between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams.

Jordan Brown is through to the Welsh Open Final

What a performance from the world number 81! Brown had never been in a ranking event semi-final before today, and now he's got the chance to win his first ever title. To call it deserved would be an understatement; he completely thrashed Maguire, who looked nothing like the player that beat Shaun Murphy with a barrage of heavy scoring yesterday. The big visits today all came from Brown, with two of his five centuries this season being registered this afternoon. He's beaten Mark Selby this week, and now he's beaten Maguire. Tomorrow, Brown will face either Ronnie O'Sullivan or Mark Williams in the biggest match of his career.

Maguire 1-6 Brown

Maguire gets a red and a black down before trying to lay a snooker on the final red. He can't find one though, and with the red rolling near the bottom right from one such effort Maguire concedes frame and match.

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'I absolutely destroyed Ronnie' - Williams relishing O'Sullivan challenge

Mark Williams is relishing the prospect of facing Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals of the Welsh Open, joking that he will draw on destroying the Rocket in the Championship League last week.

The two will lock horns in an intriguing semi-final clash on Saturday, as they have six Welsh Open titles between them.

O’Sullivan will go into the match as the favourite, having won 16 of the 17 frames he’s contested this week.

“I am looking forward to it,” Williams told Eurosport.