Continuing on with the Class of ’92 appreciation, we turn into the next century as we observe the impact Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams had on the following decade during the 2000s. Spoiler alert: it involves numerous Triple Crowns. Not only that, but here we can really see how these three juggernauts took over snooker as their own playground.
During the 2000s, O’Sullivan, Higgins and Williams secured a combined 32 ranking titles and a further 26 non-ranking events. This included an impressive 16 Triple Crown trophies, of which 7 were World Championships. As we look at each player below, we can really see the effect that they had throughout this decade and how they took the spotlight away from the rest of the field.
Starting with Higgins, he accumulated 8 ranking events (plus another 8 non-ranking) over the course of the 2000s which included his two World Championships towards the end of the decade, the first of which was against a young up-and-comer by the name of Mark Selby. He was able to win the UK Championship in 2000 (against Williams, no less) and reach back-to-back Masters finals against O’Sullivan, the latter resulting in one of the finest highlights of the decade.
Williams was able to capture 9 ranking titles during this decade which commenced with a strong start to his venture. He became the World Champion at the start of the century in 2000 and followed this with a stellar 2002/03 campaign where he won the entire Triple Crown catalogue. He became the only player beside Hendry and Davis to accomplish this, and no one has since been able to achieve this. Williams’ run throughout the 2000s included the UK Championship in 2002 as well as the Masters in 2003.
Lastly, similar to how Higgins contributed a significant number of wins to the totals in the 1990s, O’Sullivan managed to bring 15 ranking titles and 16 non-ranking victories to the table in the 2000s. It proved to be a prosperous decade for O’Sullivan in the 2000s as he claimed his first WSC in 2001, followed by triumphs in 2004 and 2008. He also added 3 Masters (2005, 07, 09) and 2 UK Championships (2001, 07), whilst establishing himself as the person to beat.
The 2000s was a real stomping ground for the Class of ’92. During the ten year span, O’Sullivan, Williams and Higgins won 7 out of the 10 World Championships. They also provided countless highlights such as the 2006 Masters final, the 2008 WSC 147 (click here to read why it’s my favourite maximum) and Williams’ form to capture all majors within a single season. Propelling themselves from their already impressive success of the 1990s, these three legends went onto establish themselves as multiple Triple Crown champions in the following decade. But it didn’t just stop there…
Like this Short? Click here to read: Snooker's Class of 1992 (1990s) – Throwback
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