Man of the moment Mark Williams kept his hot streak of form going in the first round of the BetVictor English Open, beating Ian Burns 4-0 in just 49 minutes with a century and three more breaks over 60.
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Last Sunday, Williams won his 25th ranking title – and first for two years – with a 10-7 victory over Mark Selby in the final of the Cazoo British Open. It was a significant moment for the 48-year-old Welshman as he proved to himself that he can still beat the elite players in major finals. And the left-hander kept the momentum going with a superb display against Burns, knocking in breaks of 75, 100, 62 and 94.
“This week I just want to ride the crest of the wave,” said Williams, who now meets Xiao Guodong on Wednesday morning. “Every wave comes crashing down so when you are on the top of one you just have to enjoy it. I’ll do the best I can this week and see how far I can get.
“I thought I might be on a bit of a come down today because I was buzzing on Sunday. I went to bed at 4am on Monday morning, got up at 8am to play golf, then I was up at 6am this morning to come here. I only had 20 minutes practice so I didn’t expect to play as well as I did.”
Asked if he would celebrate Sunday’s triumph, he replied: “I’m too old for that and I haven’t had a drink for a few months. I’ll just go out for a meal with the family.”
Selby also made a strong start with a 4-1 win over Xing Zihao, highlighted by runs of 127 and 93. “I felt flat out there today. It was a massive high to play in a big final, so to go again so quickly afterwards is tough,” admitted Selby, who plays again at 7pm on Tuesday against Martin O’Donnell. “But my game feels good, I have a new tip on my cue and I’m getting used to that now.”
Brecel came so close to a second career 147
Luca Brecel beat Andy Hicks 4-1 but had the disappointment of missing out on a 147 in the opening frame. After potting 15 reds with blacks, the World Champion ran out of position, then potted the yellow but the cue ball came off two cushions and dropped into a centre pocket. Brecel went on to make 55 and 68 as he set up a third round match with Muhammad Asif or Fan Zhengyi.
Judd Trump was another top seed to impress as he saw off Scott Donaldson 4-1 with top breaks of 140, 65 and 56. John Higgins was far from his best against James ‘Giant-Killer’ Cahill but avoided an upset as he came through 4-2, while Hossein Vafaei made a 76 in the decider to edge out Julien Leclercq 4-3.
