Williams beats Gilbert, Hawkins thrashes Allen
Williams beats Gilbert, Hawkins thrashes Mark Allen Mark Williams set up a Masters quarter-final with Ronnie O’Sullivan after a comfortable 6-2 win over David Gilbert yesterday. Two-time champion Williams began superbly, reeling off breaks of 126, 127 and 95 on his way to a 4-0 lead.
Gilbert rallied with a 59 and 80 but saw Williams capitalise on mistakes as he came from behind in the next two frames to seal his victory. Earlier on Tuesday Barry Hawkins completed a 6-0 whitewash over UK champion Mark Allen. Welshman Williams meets world number one O’Sullivan in the last eight at Alexandra Palace on Thursday.
“Nothing beats this crowd, it is the best venue I have ever played in,” Williams told BBC Sport.
“I’m enjoying every minute of it.
I don’t know how many more times I’ll be back so when I am back with all these fans it is special.
“It’ll be amazing [playing O’Sullivan], there’ll be two and a half thousand in here and I’ll probably have three people in the corner wanting me to win but that’s how it is when you play Ronnie.
“I am playing well so I am no pushover for anyone.”
A misjudged pot on a red with the long rest by Gilbert was punished severely in the opener by the Williams who began in methodical and clinical fashion with his first century of the match while he went off the boil slightly after winning the second and third frames at one visit, he punished Gilbert’s errors decisively throughout, the Englishman losing two frames despite making half-century. including the eighth of the evening when both players were distracted by a wasp around the arena