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Mark Williams admits he may cancel eye surgery after World Snooker Championship win

Mark Williams is set to undergo eye surgery in the summer after the World Snooker Championship, but he may now have to cancel the operation after his brilliant win over John Higgins

[Mark Williams]

Mark Williams won a classic against John Higgins(Image: (Image: BBC Sport))

Mark Williams has hinted he might have to put off his scheduled eye surgery after securing a spot in the semi-final of the World Snooker Championship.

The Welsh wizard clinched a nail-biting victory at the Crucible on Wednesday afternoon, edging past John Higgins in a thrilling last-frame decider. Ahead of the World Championship, the three-time world champion disclosed that his vision was failing and he intended to have surgery to address the issue.

However, given his impressive run at the Crucible, Williams is now reconsidering whether to go ahead with the operation. In a post-match chat with BBC Sport, pundit Ken Doherty quipped that the quarter-final winner wasn't: "Playing bad for a blind man."

Responding to Doherty's light-hearted comment, the 50 year old snooker star said: "I've got a big decision to make now, do I cancel my op? I don't know."

When questioned about how his vision issues have affected his game, Williams elaborated: "I haven't played with glasses yet, that was my next step. I tried contacts, struggled with them. Looks like I'm still doing alright, half blind."

[John Higgins of Scotland looks on against Mark Williams of Wales during the quarter final match on day eleven of the Halo World Snooker Championship 2025 at Crucible Theatre on April 29, 2025]

Williams knocked out John Higgins(Image: Getty Images)

Williams now has set his sights set on adding another World Championship title to his collection, the first since his 2018 triumph, with either Luca Brecel or Judd Trump next up for the Welsh Potting Machine.

Williams shared his mindset when lining up the crucial shot to win the match: "It was such a tough shot, I could've gone in-off, I could've overcut it. I just went for it, full-board and was straight on the pink and black and I thought I had to go for it.

"There was not one bit of nerves. I don't really get it. I've only had nerves a handful of times in my career. When I watch Jackson [Page] and he's at 4-4 my hand is shaking and I'm sweating."

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Williams added: "I wasn't thinking he [Higgins] would miss it. From 12-8 to 12 all I had not done much wrong and I'm thinking 'what can I do?' I was drained this morning. Two tough sessions, I didn't finish until half 10. It's top out there, especially the older you get. You play all day, the next day you play in the morning.

"It's just a pleasure playing now. We got the standing ovation walking in and everyone was cheering. You have to enjoy it because you don't know how many times I'll be coming back here."

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