The Thai star produced snooker perfection for the eighth time in his career, moving him to seventh on the all-time list of maximum makers, though it wasn't enough to avoid defeat at the hands of the evergreen Williams.

The magical moment came in the very first frame of the last-32 tie, Thepchaiya gliding round the table in typical fashion and completing the break in just over seven minutes.

Though a good bit slower than the most famous maximum of all, the one made by Ronnie O'Sullivan in just five minutes and eight seconds at the 1997 World Championship, Thepchaiya's 147 break will still go down as one of the fastest in the history of the sport.

The only real moment of concern for Thepchaiya came when he was left left with a difficult double on the 14th red, but when that was safely negotiated it was relatively plain sailing thereafter.

However, Thepchaiya was unable to take much inspiration from his achievement, Williams going on to dominate the contest, winning the next four frames to quickly assume control before closing out the match in ruthless fashion.