Sport

Mark Williams and Judd Trump win easily to make Masters final

Williams beats Lisowski 6-0 and in first Masters final since 2003

Mark Williams in action at the Alexandra Palace, London. Photograph: Steven Paston/PA
Mark Williams in action at the Alexandra Palace, London. Photograph: Steven Paston/PA
Sun Jan 15 2023 - 12:01

Mark Williams can look forward to his first appearance in the final of the Masters since 2003 after a 6-0 rout of Jack Lisowski in the first semi-final. He will meet Judd Trump, who beat Stuart Bingham 6-1 on Saturday evening.

Twelve months after suffering a stunning semi-final defeat to Neil Robertson, who needed two fouls to recover from 67-26 down in the deciding frame, Williams made sure there was no question of a repeat with a clinical performance.

Williams, who dominated on the safeties and punished errors from Lisowski, said his performance shows he is over the disappointment of last year. “I’m enjoying it, I’m in another final, especially after last year,” he said on Eurosport.

“A lot of people said ‘How would you get over that?’ As soon as I walked out I was over it and I’m back in the final now.

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“It’s easy to win but when you lose you have to get over it. I’ve never been worried. If I lost 6-5 from 5-0 up, it wouldn’t have made any difference. I would have said ‘best of luck Jack’ and move on.”

It means the world No 7 is into his first final at the Alexandra Palace – with the Masters still at the Wembley Conference Centre the last time he made it to the last two.

Judd Trump celebrates winning his match against Stuart Bingham. Photograph: Steven Paston
Judd Trump celebrates winning his match against Stuart Bingham. Photograph: Steven Paston

The second semi-final was a scrappier affair. Bingham had been sensational in thrashing Stuart Murphy on Friday night but could not produce the same form. Trump was also not at his very best but was good enough to win a tense match.

The balls did not seem to run for either player, which resulted in long safety exchanges in many of the frames. Trump, the world No 4 and the Masters champion in 2019, went 4-1 up when he edged a tense fifth frame which lasted 45 minutes. As it came down to the colours, Bingham sank the green with a full-length double but then missed on the blue, allowing Trump to come in to nick it.

Trump wobbled again in the sixth frame but Bingham could not take full advantage and soon fell 5-1 behind. It looked all over as Trump moved into a 58-0 lead at the start of the seventh, but a missed red opened the door again for Bingham, who got within 29 points before another safety battle began.

Both players were guilty of fouls but after Trump potted a tough yellow, he put the match to bed.

“It was a struggle at the end but I felt good, I felt a lot better,” Trump said. “The first three or four frames I went into it a few times but didn’t finish on anything. It didn’t really run for me. It was a bit scrappy in the end but I managed to get there.”