Mark Williams rues deciding frame defeat to Judd Trump: “Perhaps I’m not good enough to get over the line”

Mark Williams has suggested he is “not quite good enough” to get over the line in deciding frames after seeing his comeback thwarted by Judd Trump in an epic World Championship Semi-Final.

Williams fought back from 7-1 and 12-5 down to turn the match on its head at 16-15, but only for Trump to deny the Welshman in a nail-biting last-frame decider.

An incredible display of grit and tenacity from the 47-year-old saw him threaten one of the greatest comebacks in Crucible history, but his dream of competing for a fourth world title in 2022 was to fall agonisingly short.

“I never give up,” Williams told Eurosport. “The first session, the conditions really had me, there was nothing I could do about it.

“At 7-1 down, I was lucky it finished because he could have run away with that.

“I managed to dig in and played some really good stuff and actually got in front 16-15.

“The last frame was a funny one because he made two unbelievable cross-doubles, I’m not sure if he went for them.

“I thought I’d played two really good safeties and he cross-doubled them.

“It was a fantastic match to be involved in, the crowd was unbelievable. For the first time ever it felt like I had 80 per cent of the crowd on my side rather than Judd’s, which is unheard of really.”

Williams was vying to reach a fifth World Championship final 26 years on from his first, but was left to ponder what might have been as 2019 champion Trump won through to his third Crucible final.

Williams suffered an agonising 6-5 defeat to Neil Robertson in the Semi-Finals of this year’s Masters, as well as a narrow 10-9 loss to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Quarter-Finals of last month’s Tour Championship.

He added: “I’m disappointed I lost, that’s maybe five or six deciders I’ve lost this year, so maybe I’ll get one.

“I’ve played pretty well all through the season, I’ve just come up short in the deciders. I’ve said it before, perhaps I’m not good enough to get over the line in the big cases and there’s another example there.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I don’t mind, I’m playing ok, it’s just not quite good enough.

“If I can keep playing like that for next season, I can be a danger to anyone. I’m not going to say I’m good enough to win tournaments or anything like that, but I’m definitely good enough to be a thorn in a lot of people’s sides.”

Williams, a member of the esteemed ‘Class of 92’, also admits he favours long format events and believes the tour should consist of fewer short format tournaments.

“The only frames I think you should change is these best of sevens and best of fives, what’s the point in them?” said Williams.

“The longer matches, you’ll get the drama and the best players playing well.

“Nothing can recreate the atmosphere out there, first to 17 in the biggest tournament in the world.”

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