MARK WILLIAM WARDED off a wasp attack to swat David Gilbert 6-2 and advance to the quarter-finals of the Masters at Alexandra Palace.
The 47-year-old Welshman displayed some unlikely dance moves as he sought to avoid the persistent attention of the insect and wrap up victory.
Referee Marcel Eckardt briefly suspended the eighth frame as he tried in vain to dispose of the interloper, and Williams joked afterwards: “I thought it was going to sting my nuts at one stage.”
Alexandra Palace was BUZZING tonight! 🐝
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) January 10, 2023
A wasp stopped play in London.#CazooMasters | @CazooUK | @markwil147 pic.twitter.com/GEaUY2QVvx
Williams, who won his first of two Masters titles in 1998, buzzed in back-to-back century breaks to start the match before a further run of 95 put him in a 3-0 lead.
The Welshman extended his advantage but Gilbert, handed his place in the top-16 tournament following the suspension of Yan Bingtao, rallied after the mid-session interval, winning two frames in a row to narrow the deficit to two frames.
Gilbert missed a couple of golden chances in the next, allowing Williams to reassert control at 5-2, before the wasp-hit eighth frame went Williams’ way as he clawed his way back from a 63-point deficit.
“It’s unbelievable how I’m still playing at the top of the game and I’m enjoying every minute of it,” admitted Williams, who will face Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals.
Earlier, the season’s in-form star Mark Allen, who won the Masters title in 2018, suffered a shock 6-0 whitewash by Barry Hawkins.
Hawkins, who will face either Judd Trump or Ryan Day in the quarter-finals, told the BBC: “I think the result flatters me a little bit. I think my safety won me the match really. I played a lot of good safety and created chances that way.
