Ali Carter fights back to beat Williams and win English Open

Ali Carter beat Mark Williams 9-6 to win the English Open in Brentwood.

It was a first English Open title for either man, settled on 13 September after a sharp swing in the evening session. Carter, 47, turned a 5-3 deficit at the interval into a six-frame run that carried him over the line.

Williams had taken control early. He led 5-3 at the mid-match break and looked the steadier of the two, with the table opening up for scoring. Carter then found his rhythm. He did not blink.

A frame in snooker is a single game, and the final is won by the first player to nine. Carter got there by winning the safety battles as well as the scoring chances. One loose positional shot can leave the cue ball in the wrong place for the next red, and force a player to defend instead of build.

The win earned Carter £100,000 in prize money, according to BBC Sport. For a general viewer, that figure tells part of the story. The rest is about status and security on tour.

This was the seventh ranking title of Carter's career, and his first since 2024. A ranking title is a tournament that counts towards the official world rankings, which decide seedings and qualification for the biggest events. Seven of them puts a player in rare company.

The rankings move was immediate. Carter climbed nine places from 25th back into the world's top 16, according to BBC Sport. That matters because the top 16 earn automatic places at major tournaments, including the Masters, without going through qualifying.

What makes this stand out is the manner of the comeback. Williams, at 51, still scores as freely as anyone when he settles. Carter had to sit, watch, and wait for his chance. Then he took it.

For fans, this means a familiar name back near the top of the sport. Carter has lived for years around the edge of the elite, dangerous in any draw but outside the automatic places. Now he walks into the next big rooms without a qualifier. The cue arm held when the hall went quiet.