Hossein Vafaei vs Mark Williams Preview & Prediction | 2025 World Snooker Championship | Second Round

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An eye-catching second-round matchup sees three-time world champion Mark Williams take on the enigmatic Hossein Vafaei.

Start date/time: Friday 25th April, 2025: UK – 10:00am / US ET – 5:00am / US PT – 2:00am

How to watch on TV: UK – BBC & TNT Sports / US – Not televised

How to watch online: UK – BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website & discovery+ / US – Cannot be streamed

Tickets: Visit here for the latest ticket information

Hossein Vafaei vs Mark Williams prediction

Hossein Vafaei’s first-round encounter with Barry Hawkins was billed as one of the most closely-contested openers and it did not disappoint with the Iranian sealing a nail-biting 10-9 victory.

Vafaei, who hadn’t led in the entire match until winning the decider, prematurely celebrated during the last frame but held his nerve to secure victory on the Crucible stage for only the second time in his career.

Three-time world champion Mark Williams was pushed all the way himself by rising star Wu Yize, with the veteran winning the final three frames of the contest to eventually come through 10-8.

The Welshman, who has been dealing with eyesight issues in recent months, was outscored by his opponent but played the key moments well to progress.

Williams has a dominant career record against Vafaei, winning six of their seven contests with his only defeat coming in the 2022 Snooker Shoot Out. A vastly experience competitor in Sheffield, we’re backing the 50-year-old to edge a close match.

Hossein Vafaei vs Mark Williams tip: Mark Williams to win