He took the first frame with a 59 break after Williams had missed a brown to a middle pocket, then launched a run of 69 in the third with a confident long red to secure a 2-1 lead.

Hamilton fluked the yellow in the fourth frame, but snookered himself on the green and Williams was able to clear the colours to pink to tie the scores at 2-2.

He dominated the next two frames with runs of 40 and 106 his fourth century of the tournament to go 4-2 up before Williams quickly salvaged the seventh thanks to a 73 break.

The closing frame of the first session - Hamilton and Williams are now into the second - developed into a tactical battle which eventually lasted 32 minutes. It was effectively decided when Hamilton laid a snooker on the last red which yielded a free ball.

He skillfully dislodged the red from an awkward spot in sinking a pink, cleared up to re-open a two-frame cushion and set up the distinct possibility of an upset.

Williams, successful in just two of his last 13 finals after winning 10 of his first 12, was left needing six of nine frames on the restart to avoid yet another big occasion disappointment.

This season alone the Welshman was beaten 7-4 by John Higgins in the climax of the Champions Cup, was edged 10-9 by Paul Hunter with the Benson & Hedges Masters crown on the line and has lost in three other semi-finals.