Stephen Hendry amazed by ‘dark horse’ snooker star who ‘broke Ronnie O’Sullivan’s spirit’

STEPHEN HENDRY has hailed “dark horse” Mark Williams after his heroics over Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Williams clinched the Tour Championship and by beating World No1 O’Sullivan 10-5 in the final.

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Stephen Hendry hailed ‘dark horse’ Mark Williams[/caption]

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Mark Williams playing against Ronnie O’Sullivan[/caption]

It came after victories over Judd Trump and Mark Allen on his way to winning it all in Manchester.

The Welshman hopes to show the same form in the World Snooker Championship, which kicks off next Saturday.

And seven-time world champion Hendry backed Williams an outside bet to win a fourth Crucible title.

He told SportsBoom: “I said a couple of months ago that Mark might be a dark horse.

“Then his form dipped and then you wonder about his age whether he’ll be winning again. But he’s got a chance at the Crucible now.

“He beat Judd 10-4, 9-0 up against Mark Allen, 10-5 against Ronnie. He’s destroyed the best three players in the world.

“He broke Ronnie’s spirit, in the final frame he just wanted to get out of there in that last frame. No-one’s got a temperament like him.

“If you could bottle what he has temperament wise, in any sport, you could sell it for a fortune.

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“He’s different to anyone I’ve ever met. You couldn’t teach what he has, he’s unique.

“I just think the way he plays, he’s so aggressive. He goes for everything. If there’s a pot on, more often than not Mark’s going to go for it.

“It’s a risky game, but when he’s that confident and getting them he’s hard to beat.”