Williams & Allen knocked out of Welsh Open
Mark Williams' first World Championship title came in 2000
- Published
Welsh Open Snooker
Venue: Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Date: 10-16 February
Coverage: Watch live on BBC Two Wales, BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app.
Three-time world champion Mark Williams is out of the 2025 Welsh Open after a 4-2 second-round defeat by Stephen Maguire.
Williams, twice a Welsh Open winner, lost the opening two frames before levelling the match at 2-2.
But two half-century breaks from Scotland's Maguire booked his place in the third round at Llandudno's Venue Cymru.
Williams was not the only former world champion knocked out in the second round, as Neil Robertson lost a deciding frame against Tom Ford.
Ford will face Jackson Page in the third round after the Welshman beat India's Ishpreet Singh Chadha 4-2 during Wednesday's morning session.
The 23-year-old Page has equalled his best Welsh Open performance by reaching the third round, as he did back in 2017 when aged just 15.
Wednesday afternoon's other big shock saw Northern Ireland's Mark Allen beaten by China's Yuan Sijun.
Allen had led 2-1, but was beaten in the final frame by the 24-year-old from Nanchang.
Sijun will face four-time world champion John Higgins in the third round.
Higgins breezed through his morning match with Robert Milkins, with breaks of over 50 in four straight frames to claim a 4-0 win.
Former world champions Mark Selby and Luca Brecel also progressed. Selby will face Wales' Jamie Jones after beating Elliot Slessor 4-3, while Brecel beat Noppon Saengkham 4-2 and will meet Pang Junxu in the last 16.
Jones was the second Welshman through to the third round, as he came from 2-1 down to beat Robbie Williams 4-2.
Jones had breaks of 79, 87, 108 and 110 in a strong second-round performance.
Matthew Stevens joined compatriots Page and Jones in reaching the third round, as he came from 3-2 down to beat David Gilbert 4-3.
Jamie Clarke could not follow suit, despite coming from 3-0 down to force a final-frame decider against Matthew Selt as the Englishman held his nerve to win 4-3. Selt will face fellow countryman Jack Lisowski in the third round after Lisowski beat Chris Wakelin 4-1.
Sanderson Lam booked his place in the third round with a 4-2 win over China's Wu Yize.
Meanwhile, the final afternoon match saw China's Junxu beat compatriot Zhang Anda 4-2.
England's Ali Carter saw off Iran's Hossein Vafaei to progress and will next face Ryan Day, who pleased his home crowd with a 4-2 triumph over Ma Hailong of China.
Another all-English encounter saw Joe O'Connor beat Kyren Wilson 4-3 to set up another Wales-England third-round tussle, against Stevens.