Stephen Maguire won the Welsh Open in 2013 (Image: Getty)
Stephen Maguire might’ve got the better of local hero at the Welsh Open, but the star admitted he prefers playing in the tournament when there are no fans in attendance.
The world No.29 upset the odds when he defeated Williams 4-2 .
Welshman Williams had entered the tournament as the sixth seed but will have to wait another year at least before he ends a now 26-year wait for a third Welsh Open title.
It marked a stunning victory for Maguire, who had blown a two-frame lead to allow his opponent back into the contest.
Alas, the 43-year-old won the final two frames to secure victory in the match and progress through to the last eight.
Not that he was pleased anyone was there to witness it though, with Maguire bemoaning the presence of the crowd during his post-match debrief.
Speaking to Wales, Maguire stated: “It is tough, as I don’t play on Table One very often. When you get out there, with the lights. If you play in the qualifiers, it is dark, it is totally different. It was a good win for me out there on Table One.”
The 2013 Welsh Open winner added, with tongue somewhat in cheek: “I enjoyed when nobody was there. I don’t like people.”
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Stephen Maguire is into the last-16 of the Welsh Open (Image: Getty)
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Maguire will now take on Sanderson Lam, who has beaten two seeded players in Barry Hawkins (last-64) and Wu Yize (last-32) to reach the final 16 players in Llandudno.
It won’t be an easy test by any means for Maguire, but it does present a chance for the Scot to reach the quarter-final stage of a ranking event for the first time this season.
Commenting on his performance in general, Maguire said: “It was tough. I threw away so many chances, and most times the game does not forgive you. But he missed a bad blue.
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“I am here to play snooker and here to win every match I play, so I am not going to lie down. If you get your chances, try and take them.
“He [Lam] had a good result against Barry Hawkins. They are all good players.
“Maybe back in 2006 I would look at draws and would be, ‘I’ll go out for a couple of pints tonight and be alright.’
“Not now, you have to treat every match [seriously] as they are so tough.”