British Open snooker 2023: 'It was cruel' – Mark Selby sympathy for David Gilbert after 'horrible' last-16 exit

ByEurosport

Updated 29/09/2023 at 06:07 GMT

The draw for the quarter-finals of the British Open has thrown up some fascinating matches with Mark Selby and Jack Lisowski's Friday night battle arguably the highlight of the last eight. Four-time world champion Selby will be hoping for a smoother encounter than his gruelling 4-3 win over David Gilbert in the last 16 that was settled with his unfortunate opponent going in-off the final black.

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Mark Selby admits David Gilbert's 4-3 defeat on the final black of the final frame of a "horrible" British Open last-16 clash was a "cruel" way to lose.

The four-time world champion led Gilbert 61-59 in the decider when the former Crucible semi-finalist played a fine safety shot off the black in baulk only to see the white come back down the table before nestling in a top left-hand corner pocket.

It settled a gruelling contest that finished just before 1am at the Centaur in Cheltenham with Selby progressing to secure a best-of-nine frame quarter-final meeting with Jack Lisowski on Friday evening at the season's third ranking event.

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Lisowski earlier recovered from trailing 1999 British Open winner Fergal O'Brien 2-0 to complete a 4-2 victory.

Selby won the final two frames from 3-2 behind after world No. 25 Gilbert – a player nicknamed 'The Angry Farmer' – had levelled at 1-1 with a 105 break before adding 70 in the fifth frame to move ahead.

Selby – who defends his English Open title next week live on Eurosport and discovery+ – made 83 in the sixth frame to restore parity, after earlier knocks of 59 and 60, ahead of the final-frame drama that left Gilbert having every right to feel angry.

“It was cruel really," said Selby on WST. "He’d probably rather have messed a safety up or something than lose like that.

"It isn’t nice to lose that way when you’ve been playing a frame for that long. I felt that I could have won 4-1, 4-2 or 4-3. It was a horrible match from start to finish.

“I played Shaun Murphy in the last 16 of the English Open last year and he missed a black off the spot to beat me 4-2. I managed to turn the match around, win 4-3 and went on to win the event.

"Sometimes you think your name is on the trophy, but it is only the quarter-finals so I’m not getting carried away.”

Tour rookie He Guoqiang edged European Masters champion Barry Hawkins 4-3 on the final black seconds after Selby's win to set up a last-eight encounter with Hossein Vafaei, who ran in two centuries in a 4-2 win over 2006 world champion Graeme Dott.

Three-time Crucible winner Mark Williams is chasing a second British Open title in three years and will meet Fan Zhengyi in the quarter-finals.

Williams hit back from 2-0 down to defeat former UK champion Ding Junhui 4-2, while Fan overcame Ma Hailong 4-1.

The draw for the semi-finals on Saturday sees the winner of Williams v Fan face Vafaei or He, while Ford or Xiao will take on Selby or Lisowski for a final spot on Sunday.