In the eighth shot, the seasoned Welsh dancer had to do some unconventional dancing movements to evade the winged intruder.
Mark Williams defeated David Gilbert 6-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Masters at Alexandra Palace by fending off a wasp assault.
The 47-year-old Welshman attempted to elude the bug’s relentless attention and secure victory by showcasing some peculiar dancing routines.
Referee Marcel Eckardt briefly suspended the eighth frame as he tried in vain to dispose of the interloper, and Williams joked afterwards: “I thought it was going to sting my nuts at one stage.”
Williams, who won his first of two Masters titles in 1998, buzzed in back-to-back century breaks to start the match before a further run of 95 put him in a 3-0 lead.
The Welshman extended his advantage but Gilbert, handed his place in the top-16 tournament following the suspension of Yan Bingtao, rallied after the mid-session interval, winning two frames in a row to narrow the deficit to two frames.
Williams regained control at 5-2 after Gilbert missed a number of easy baskets in the following set. Williams then overcame a 63-point deficit in the eighth and final frame.
Williams, who will play Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarterfinals, said, “It’s unbelievable how I’m still playing at the top of the game and I’m enjoying every minute of it. Gilbert missed a couple of golden chances in the next.”
Earlier in the season, 2018 Masters champion Mark Allen, who was riding high, was shockingly defeated 6-0 by Barry Hawkins. Williams regained control at 5-2, and he would later come back from a 63-point deficit to win the eighth and final round.
“I think I could have done better if I had been more critical, but in the end, I think it made the difference because I kept Mark under pressure and didn’t make many easy, unforced mistakes.”
Hawkins won it on the colors after overcoming a 55-0 deficit in the first set. Breaks of 76 and 114 further increased his lead.
In a tough fourth session, Allen appeared poised to make a run at the scoreboard, but he overcut the brown and left it over the corner pocket, allowing Hawkins to clear and take a 5-0 lead with breaks of 45 and 41.
There was always hope for Allen when he overcame a 6-1 deficit to defeat Ding Junhui 10-7 in the UK Championship final in November, but the Northern Irishman was unable to repeat such heroics as Hawkins secured a decisive victory.
Hawkins said, “I had a few days off here and there over Christmas, but other than that, I didn’t have a lot of time off. I knew this tournament was coming up, and this is not a place you want to come here and be underprepared.”
“I kept my head down, and it paid off today,” the speaker said.
