MARK Williams believes he will never have a better opportunity to win a third world title after crashing out of the Betfred World Snooker Championship with a session to spare on Tuesday evening.

The Cwm potter struggled throughout his quarter-final with Ding Junhui as the Chinese cueman wasted little time in racing to a 13-3 victory.

Ding made one century and 11 further half-centuries as he dominated the scoring at Sheffield’s iconic Crucible Theatre and a gutsy 76 break in the final frame epitomised his display.

With six of the world’s top seven knocked out before the quarter-finals – including five-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and defending champion Stuart Bingham – Williams felt he had a glorious chance to lift the trophy this year, making his exit all the tougher to take.

“I was playing and feeling brilliant and, with the players left in, it’s probably the best chance I’ll get at winning another World Championship,” said the 41-year-old, who won the title in 2000 and 2003.

“I was playing really well and was really confident – more confident than I have been for many years to do well here. It just wasn’t to be.

“I’m a bit disappointed because I won’t get as good a chance as this to win the World Championship again. A lot of top players went out and it was open for anybody to win it.

“Especially as I was feeling confident and playing well, I did think I had as good a chance as any this time.”

The 13-3 defeat was the heaviest suffered by Williams at the World Championship and his cause wasn’t helped when the tip of his cue split the night before the start of his match against Ding.

In fact, the Welshman insists that once that happened there was nothing he could do to stop himself crashing out of the tournament with a replacement tip.

“You’ve just seen what effect changing my tip had,” added Williams. “As soon as my tip split the night before I had to play I knew then my chances were gone – there was no way I could do anything with a new tip.

“It’s hard enough to play in the club with a new tip but when you’re out there under those conditions it is almost impossible.

“As soon as that happened to me, I knew my fight was over – I had no chance and deep down I knew I was going to get thrashed, so I can’t really grumble.”

Watch the World Championship LIVE on Eurosport, with Colin Murray and analysis from Jimmy White and Ronnie O’Sullivan.