Williams fights back from 5-1 to set up Carter final

Mark Williams came from 5-1 down to beat Shaun Murphy 6-5 and reach the English Open final. He will face Ali Carter at the Brentwood Centre in Essex on Sunday, with both men chasing a first English Open title, BBC Sport reported.

Murphy led 5-1 on Saturday and looked in full control. Williams then won five frames in a row to steal the semi-final. It was ruthless and quiet in equal measure.

The Welshman levelled at 5-5 with a break of 65, points scored in a single visit to the table. Murphy had kept himself alive in the tenth frame with a break of 51, but it was not enough to stop the slide. Williams closed out the decider with a break of 69.

Carter had booked his place earlier in the day. He beat Ding Junhui 6-2 in the first semi-final. The Englishman won five frames in a row and made a highest break of 119.

That run started the week from a low base. Carter, 47 and from Essex, began the tournament ranked 25th in the world. A win over Williams on Sunday would put him back inside the top 16.

Williams, 51, is a three-time world champion. His comeback against Murphy made him the oldest finalist at a ranking event in 40 years, according to TNT Sports.

Neither man arrived by accident. Murphy had beaten Judd Trump in a final-frame quarter-final. Williams had come through his own quarter-final 6-3, making breaks of 63, 95 and 112 along the way, WST reported.

What makes this stand out is the contrast. Carter pulled clear early and stayed clear. Williams had to sit in his chair, watch the frames go by, then find something when there was nowhere left to hide. For fans, this means a final between two very different kinds of form.