Mark Williams to face Zhao Xintong in the 2025 World Snooker Championship final

Williams - who is aiming for his fourth world title after triumphs in 2000, 2003 and 2018 - will meet maiden finalist Zhao Xintong in the best-of-35 frames showpiece contest across Sunday and Monday in Sheffield.

Aged 50, Welshman Williams becomes the oldest Crucible finalist of all-time. Should he defeat Zhao in the title match, he would become the sport’s oldest-ever world champion, smashing Ronnie O’Sullivan’s current record of 46 years and 148 days from 2022.

Williams would also overtake compatriot, the late Ray Reardon as the oldest winner of a ranking event. Reardon was 50 years and 14 days when won the 1982 Professional Players Tournament.

It has been a remarkable turnaround in results for Williams over these past few weeks having been dumped out in the opening round of the preceding Tour Championship, 10-3 by Ding Junhui.

Following that exit, Williams reiterated ongoing concerns he had with eyesight issues, and was quoted saying: “My eyes have completely gone.” “Whoever qualifies for the World Championship is going to be praying they draw me in the first round."

But just a few weeks later, the 26-time ranking event champion is one win away from snooker’s ultimate prize, once again.

Reigning UK Champion and pre-tournament favourite Trump headed into the last four match with a strong head-to-head record over Williams, having won more than two-thirds of all their previous encounters on the professional tour.

He had also won several of their highest profile ones, including at this stage of the World Championship three years ago via a deciding frame, and having cleared up in a decider in the Saudi Arabia Masters final earlier this season to dramatically take the title and £500,000 top prize on the final black.

The first four frames of the opening act in their latest encounter here were shared, but Trump ended the first session 5-3 up.

Trump then secured the first two frames of the second session to establish a 7-3 lead, but a gritty Williams battled back, claiming five of the next six frames to level up at 8-8.

On resumption Saturday morning, Williams won frame 17 to go in front for the first time since 1-0, although Trump replied with the next two frames to move ahead again at 10-9.

However, a big moment arrived in frame 20 as Trump missed the penultimate red when close to carving out a two-frame gap. Williams punished for 10-10, and after the mid-session break he chalked up three of the last four frames of the session to go 13-11 up heading into the final programme later in the day.

Several hours later, Williams continued his momentum, boosting his profit to four frames at 15-11, but Trump - who broke the all-time record for making the most century breaks in a professional season earlier in this tournament - responded with a run of 104.

Following suit, though, was Williams, who replied with exactly 100 to move on the hill at 16-12 up.

With a mountain to climb when they returned to action after their final mid-session interval, Trump - who needed to play pretty much perfect snooker - took the first step by winning frame 29.

And when Williams missed a red in the next frame, Trump capitalised with an effort of 116 to reduce his deficit to two at 16-14 down.

Having been four up with five to play, Williams may have cast his mind back to the previous round where John Higgins forced a decider from the same initial equation. But after Trump failed to pot a very tricky cut-back black near the start of frame 31, Williams completed the job in supreme style with a clearance of 123 - his fourth century break of the tie.

Williams has been stretched to the limit during his run to the Sheffield final.

In his aforementioned quarter-final classic against fellow 'Class of 92' graduate Higgins, he was effectively one ball away from elimination when the four-time world champion rattled the final blue into a baulk pocket in the deciding frame.

"Balls of steel" as he described it on social media, Williams came to the table and produced a 'Shot of the Championship' contending pot on the blue before coolly sinking pink and black to progress by the barest of margins.

In the previous rounds, Williams didn't receive much change back, winning the final three frames to oust exciting Chinese prospect Wu Yize 10-8 in round one, and ending the challenge of Iran's number one Hossein Vafaei, 13-10, in the last 16.

A while back, Williams said he wanted to be ranked inside the world's top 16 when he turned 50 - a milestone he reached in March.

Not only is the current world number six surviving, but he is thriving on the circuit, and with the prize money he has earned this season, he will likely be in the top echelons of the sport for at least another couple of years yet.

Speaking to the BBC straight after the match, Williams - who rattled a black, which went in, during his match-winning break - said: "I was starting to twitch towards the end, I'm not going to lie. I nearly missed the black in the last frame - I did feel a bit of tension on the back arm.

"I'm never normally nervous at any stage but I was in that break.

"I can't believe I'm in another final - I don't know how I'm doing to be honest.

"I came here with not much form, I lost in the first round in the past few tournaments, but I wasn't really too concerned.

"I worked in the club from half past eight every morning for four or five hours, me and Lee [Walker, Williams' coach], and we've been putting the hours in just to try to get a bit of form, trying with contacts and without contacts.

"I really struggled with my eyes in the past couple of tournaments and I've tried everything - contacts, varifocals. I left it for Lee to decide because he knows if I'm playing alright and how I'm hitting them, and he said he thought I was better off going without them.

"Lens replacement was booked for 12 June - deposit paid - but I'm going to have to have a think. I want my deposit back!"

Williams’ meeting with Zhao will be the first all left-handed Crucible final.

Please visit our 2025 World Snooker Championship tournament information centre here for details on the draw, results, format and order of play.