Grandmaster Mark Williams wins Xi'an Grand Prix and breaks long-standing snooker record

50-year-old Williams creates snooker history in the process as he becomes the oldest-ever winner of a ranking title, breaking the near 43-year record that fellow Welshman Ray Reardon set at the 1982 Professional Players Tournament.

His first ranking crown in over 18 months, Williams - whose maiden accolade came in 1996 - moves into outright sixth on the all-time list of most decorated ranking champions, one title behind Steve Davis who is fifth with 28.

The £177,000 top prize he collects in China pushes Williams up one place to fourth in the latest world rankings, ahead of fellow ‘Class of 92’ graduate Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Despite all his experience, Williams went into Monday’s final at the Quijiang Athletic Center as the underdog as he took on a red-hot opponent who was on a 13-match winning streak and aiming for back-to-back titles on the World Snooker Tour.

Newly-minted British Open champion Murphy had shown much the better form throughout the week in Xi’an out of the two finalists, whitewashing defending champion Kyren Wilson in the last 16 - not allowing his opposite number to pot a single ball - and compiling nine century breaks across his matches, all of which were over 120.

In comparison, three-time world champion Williams went into the final downbeat about his game having survived a deciding frame finish against Lyu Haotian in the last eight before struggling for large spells during his 6-3 semi-final win over compatriot Daniel Wells.

However, finals carry different pressures and can inspire. Perhaps requiring a fast start to boost his confidence, Williams got exactly that - and more - as breaks of 75, 73, 56 and 68 helped send him into a 4-0 mid-session interval lead.

An out-of-sorts Murphy opened his account in frame five with the aid of a 69, but Williams took a scruffy sixth frame before efforts of 59, 55 and 127 put ‘The Welsh Potting Machine’ in total control as he ended the afternoon session 7-1 up.

On resumption a few hours later, Williams made it tons in consecutive frames with a 122 to extend his lead further before Murphy strung together successive frames for the first time in the tie (93 break, frame 11) to make the scoreline look more respectable.

However, that little sequence wasn't the start of some mammoth comeback for Murphy as breaks of 65 and 61 either side of the final mid-session interval saw Williams run out a very comfortable winner and create history at the same time.

Aged 50 years and 206 days, Williams eclipses six-time world champion Reardon’s previous benchmark by over six months. Reardon was 50 years and 14 days when he defeated Jimmy White 10-5 in the final of the Professional Players Tournament.

He has now won professional titles in five different decades of his life - his teens, 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s; the first player ever to do so.

Williams is the seventh different winner from as many events on this season’s professional circuit: Stephen Maguire (Championship League), Kyren Wilson (Shanghai Masters), Neil Robertson (Saudi Arabia Masters), Xiao Guodong (Wuhan Open), Mark Allen (English Open), Shaun Murphy (British Open).

Next up on the World Snooker Tour is Scottish Open qualifying held in Wigan (October 14-17), before the main venue, televised stages of the Northern Ireland Open get underway on Sunday (October 19) at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.

Visit our 2025 Xi’an Grand Prix tournament information centre here for details on the draw, results, prize money, schedule and how to watch.