Adam Williams presents his prediction for the World Snooker Championship match.
John Higgins and Mark Williams will face off in the quarter-finals of the World Championship, making for one of the most illustrious matches at the Crucible, given the combined seven world titles between them.
John Higgins
The “Wizard of Wishaw” continues to demonstrate an exceptionally high level of snooker at the age of 49. Before the World Championship, John secured victory at the Tour Championship, a triumph that instilled him with renewed strength and additional energy ahead of snooker’s most important tournament of the year. Higgins, playing in his signature style, defeated Joe O’Connor 10-7, and then had a gruelling second-round encounter against Xiao Guodong. The players were evenly matched throughout, trading blows until the match went down to a deciding frame. It was in this crucial moment that Higgins displayed his trademark iron grip, earning himself a place in the quarter-finals. John possesses exceptional break-building skills, which have enabled him to amass over 1000 century breaks in his career, and his positional play is rightly considered the gold standard.
Mark Williams
“The Welsh Potting Machine,” a three-time world champion, continues to captivate experts and spectators alike with his free-flowing style of play. His unique approach – a blend of incredibly accurate long shots with unconventional positional thinking – brings victories even at the age of 50. The Welshman currently occupies 6th position in the rankings and won the Champion of Champions this season. In his first-round match at the Crucible against Wu Yize, Mark produced several excellent breaks, winning 10-8. In the second round, Williams faced a tenacious Hossein Vafaei and managed to seize the initiative from the outset. Williams maintained this narrow advantage throughout the match, ultimately prevailing 13-10.
John Higgins vs Mark Williams Prediction
This match between these legendary champions promises to be a genuine masterpiece, featuring a tense clash of contrasting game philosophies. It is difficult to predict which will prevail: Higgins’ “iron” discipline or Williams’ improvisational flair. John Higgins will likely apply gradual pressure on his opponent through tactical duels, but Williams will undoubtedly respond with several of his trademark “magic” shots. Both champions are intimately familiar with each other’s weaknesses, and to secure victory, Williams will need to avoid prolonged positional battles, where the advantage would likely lie with the Scot. We therefore suggest a bet on a long match of at least 23 frames.
