Mark Williams 'robbed' after Masters defeat to Ding Junhui - 'I don't normally say this'
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Mark Williams blamed bad luck for his dramatic 6-5 defeat to Ding Junhui in the Masters first round at Alexandra Palace on Monday.
"I don't normally say this but I think the only reason I lost today was the run of the ball," Williams told Eurosport.
"He had so much run all the way through the match really."
The three-time world champion revealed he "lost count of how many times he held his hand up to me to say sorry, he must have done it 10 or 11 times."
Mark Williams has been beaten by Ding Junhui
PA
The match began slowly with both players struggling for form in the opening frames.
After the mid-session interval, the contest sparked into life as Williams took a 3-2 lead with breaks of 57 and 70.
Ding responded by claiming two consecutive frames with runs of 64 and 60.
Williams then produced a sublime break of 136 to level at 4-4, before pinching the ninth frame after Ding faltered on 66 to take a 5-4 lead.
Williams appeared to be in command at 5-4, but fortune favoured his opponent in the crucial moments.
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"He's butchered a long red, smashed them everywhere and I'm on nothing," Williams explained about a key moment.
"Last frame he's butchered one again, left me in trouble and cleared up again."
Ding himself acknowledged his slice of luck, saying: "A bit of luck at 5-4 down, I smashed all the balls and he got no chance."
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Ding Junhui admitted he got a bit lucky against Mark Williams
PA
Despite the fortunate positions, Ding produced impressive snooker when it mattered most.
The Chinese star compiled breaks of 76 and 90 in the final two frames to secure victory.
"Good luck to him. He made two great breaks. After the interval none of us can play much better than that," Williams acknowledged.
The 2011 Masters champion will now face either Judd Trump or Barry Hawkins in the quarter-finals.
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Mark Williams will 'feel robbed', said Ken Doherty
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Former world champion Ken Doherty said on the BBC that Williams will "probably feel robbed" by the result.
However, Alan McManus offered a more balanced view on Eurosport: "I agree with him in some respects.
"The running that was going on out there was on Ding's side of the fence. But there was a frame where he played a safety shot and gets cover on the brown, Mark that is, and he won the frame off the back off it."
"All's fair in love and snooker, as we say, it cuts both ways," McManus added.
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