Williams stumbles to victory

John Parrott lost to Williams despite a gritty fightback

 Photo gallery: First round action

Mark Williams held off a spirited comeback to complete a 10-7 victory over John Parrott in a disappointing encounter.

Leading 6-3 after the first session, the second seed won the next two frames to take an 8-3 advantage over his fellow former world champion.

It was the worst, most pathetic and embarassing performance of my whole life

Mark Williams

But Parrott, the Embassy winner in 1991, refused to buckle and breaks of 51 and 79 helped the 37-year-old pull the score back to 9-7.

Williams however dug deep and completed the win with a 65 break.

He pulled no punches about his own display after the unconvincing first-round victory.

"It was the worst, most pathetic and embarassing performance of my whole life," he said.

"I don't know why it happened. I started off bad, stayed bad and got even worse.

"I can't take any positives from that match at all," he added.