MARK Williams ripped the buttons off his shirt after his ManBetX Welsh Open defeat but insisted it was not a sign of frustration at crashing out, writes Will Jennings (Sportsbeat).

The Cwm potter succumbed to a surprise 4-1 defeat in round three against Anthony McGill in Cardiff, dashing his hopes of triumphing for the first time in his home event for 21 years.

And the world No 3 said his change of clothing after the match was not a symptom of his anger.

“I just couldn’t wait to get the shirt off,” he said.

“It was just too uncomfortable for me and there’s no frustration - when you get outplayed you’ve just got to hold your hands up and wish Anthony all the best.

“His safety just tied me up in knots and was one of the best I’ve come up against - every time I came to the table I seemed to be on the cushion or behind the colours snookered.

“I don’t feel too much added pressure coming to Cardiff - you try to win whatever tournament you play in, and just because it’s local you shouldn’t put more pressure on yourself.”

McGill raced into a 1-0 lead with a steady break of 62, before a fine 97 from Williams restored parity in front of an expectant home crowd.

But the Scot then showed great maturity in keeping the three-time world champion at bay, thwarting his advances to book a round four clash with either Stuart Bingham or Yan Bingtao.

Matthew Stevens was another Welsh player to crash out in the third round, losing 4-1 to China’s Zhao Xintong.

The Carmarthen player watched breaks of 55, 59 and 142 from the chair, continuing his disappointing season of only once progressing past the third round at a ranking event.

“It’s slightly frustrating - it wasn’t a good match, but I’m not that bothered really, and I’m looking forward to the World Championship now as I’ve put a lot of work in for that,” he said.

Neath’s Daniel Wells went down 4-2 against Gerard Greene but Dominic Dale safely booked his place in the last 16, beating world No 7 Mark Allen 4-2.

The 48-year-old, who hails from Penarth, struck breaks of 70 and 56 to render Allen’s efforts of 101, 92 and 62 in vain, teeing up a fourth round clash with Shaun Murphy.

Watch the Welsh Open live on Eurosport and Eurosport Player with analysis from Jimmy White and Neal Foulds