Mark Williams v Ding Junhui: Prediction, Tips and Odds

The Masters, snooker's most prestigious invitational event, continues on Monday afternoon with a mouth-watering clash between Mark Williams and Ding Junhui at Alexandra Palace.

Williams, a two-time Masters champion, enters the tournament in solid form, having won the 2024 Champion of Champions tournament in November and reached the semi-finals of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship just before Christmas.

The Welsh Potting Machine's last Masters triumph came in 2003, but he has shown remarkable longevity, continuing to compete at the highest level well into his 40s.

Although he exited the tournament in the first round last year, Williams reached the semi-finals at Alexandra Palace in 2022 and lost 10-8 in the final to Judd Trump a year later.

Ding, on the other hand, is looking to recapture the form that saw him lift the Masters trophy in 2011.

The Chinese star beat Chris Wakelin to claim the International Championship and end his five-year wait for a ranking title on home soil in November.

But the 37-year-old subsequently lost in the second round of the UK Championship in York and fell at the third-round stage of the Scottish Open. 

These two have played out some thrilling encounters over the years, with Ding holding a 14-8 head-to-head advantage. 

The Dragon took the deciding frame in a closely fought 6-5 battle on their most recent meeting in the quarter-finals of the 2023 UK Championship and he also prevailed 6-4 in the only previous Masters meeting in the year he lifted the trophy, 2011.

Mark Williams v Ding Junhui betting tips and predictions

Ding Junhui to win - 10/11

Despite Williams' Masters pedigree and recent performances at Alexandra Palace, Ding looks the value bet in this encounter. 

The Dragon’s head-to-head record against Williams is telling and he and appears to be finding form at the right time.

He was unlucky to go out to Luca Brecel in the Scottish Open, having outscored the Belgian over seven tight frames, and he whitewashed world number seven Shaun Murphy in Riyadh before suffering a similar fate to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals. 

Ding's precise positional play and break-building ability should serve him well in the quick-fire Masters format. If he can settle early and find his rhythm, he has the potential to dominate the match. 

Williams' aggressive style could also play into Ding's hands, providing opportunities to counter-attack and build frame-winning breaks.

With this match so evenly poised, there's value in backing the Chinese player to progress to the Masters quarter-finals for the first time since 2019.

Over 9.5 frames - 10/11

Given how closely matched these two players have been over their history of tight encounters, this match has all the ingredients to go the distance. 

Their last meeting, at the UK Championship, went to a deciding frame and there's every chance we could see a similar scenario unfold here.

Both Williams and Ding are capable of producing moments of brilliance, but they can also be prone to lapses in concentration. That could lead to a back-and-forth battle, with momentum swinging between the two players throughout the match.

The pressure of the Masters and the best-of-11 format adds another layer of tension, potentially leading to a closely fought contest. Backing the match to go over 9.5 frames offers good value and the potential for an exciting climax to the opening day's play.

Ding Junhui highest break in match - 8/11

Both players are capable of producing big breaks, but Ding has consistently compiled the larger scores of the two when among the balls.

Williams has made three maximums in his career and almost 650 century breaks. He makes his tons at an average of one every 20 frames, which is almost half the frequency of Ding.

The man from Jiangsu has made 681 tons and seven maximums with his 100-plus breaks coming at one every 11.55 frames.

Those career stats suggest Ding is correctly favoured to post the highest match break on Monday.

The world number nine recorded three centuries in 12 frames in Riyadh last month and the second-highest break of the Scottish Open main stage rounds. 

Meanwhile, Williams reeled off a 141 break in a recent defeat in the World Open qualifiers but he has made only four other tons in his last 55 competitive frames.

If further evidence of the Chinese potter’s credentials were needed, there have been only five 147 breaks in Masters history and Ding has two of them.

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Mark Williams v Ding Junhui odds

Mark Williams - 10/11
Ding Junhui - 10/11

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.