Mark Selby secures whitewash win over Xiao Guodong to set up 2023 British Open final against Mark Williams
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Updated 30/09/2023 at 23:23 GMT
Mark Williams has advanced to the final of the British Open in Cheltenham after defeating Hossein Vafaei 6-3, marking his 40th ranking final. Williams face Mark Selby in the championship decider after the world No. 5 whitewashed Xiao Guodong in the second semi-final of the day. The champion will receive a £100,000 prize after Sunday's decisive match.
Fire alarm halts play between Selby and Asif in International Championship qualifier
Mark Selby beat Xiao Guodong 6-0 on Saturday night in Cheltenham to set up a final with Mark Williams, who earlier defeated Hossein Vafaei 6-3.
Williams' victory means he will compete in the 40th ranking final of his career on Sunday.
Vafaei made a strong start to the opening frame, pouncing as Selby left a red hanging. He rolled to 32 but failed to put a tricky black away and opened the door for Williams, who thankfully strode through it. Williams carved through Vafaei's lead, potting six reds but missing the final red.
That gave Vafaei a chance, 36 behind with 35 on. The Iranian needed to be perfect but wasn't, and Williams stepped up again to finish the table and take the first frame.
Williams made an abortive start to the second frame, slipping up on just 10 as he got nothing from an attempt on the pack. Vafaei could do a little better, potting a red and a tough green but failing on his next shot.
Vafaei had left Williams a kind table, and the Welshman set about clearing it. He was rolling effortlessly, but another sloppy shot left him stranded on 37.
Another chance went begging for Vafaei, though, over-hitting a pink, which rebounded out of the right middle pocket and gave Williams the chance to take the frame.
No errors from the Welshman this time, and he swept up the second frame even quicker than the first.
Vafaei was in trouble, and Williams started the third frame well again. Playing with confidence, Williams began playing some riskier shots and got out a little over his skis. An attempted delicate cut missed the pocket, and Vafaei stepped up once more.
Suddenly, Vafaei found the form that had seen him qualify for the semi-final with a 5-2 win over China's He Guoqiang on Friday.
Beginning with a long red, the Iranian chugged around the table with a series of smart shots. His break ended on 66 after an attempt to pot the last red ball near the left cushion, but Williams had a chance to pot the red but missed, and the red ran safe.
The two traded snookers, but Williams then missed a crucial shot on the black, allowing Vafaei to pot the last red and clearing the table to take his first frame of the match.
In the last frame before the break, Vafaei was handed another early chance as Williams blew his opening. The Iranian bounced to 30 in a flash but didn't stop there. At 57, he stalled, leaving Williams a long red, but the Welshman couldn't pot, and Vafaei was back up.
The Iranian polished off the frame to level the match at 2-2.
After the interval, Williams took the next two frames, making it 4-2 by driving a blue long into the yellow pocket, a pink to the bottom right, and landing a black for the frame.
Despite coming back once more to make it 4-3, Vafaei's game just had too many errors, and while Williams wasn't at his best, he managed to wrap up the victory at 6-3, emptying the table for a 71, his best break of the match, in the final frame.
Selby, who edged fellow Brit Jack Lisowski 5-4 in the quarter-final, faced Xiao in Saturday evening to claim the second berth in Sunday's final.
The Chinese player failed to score more than 100 points across the six games he contested against Selby, currently ranked No. 5 in the world after some recent impressive form.
Selby took the first frame 94-1 courtesy of a 64 break, then scored 94 in one visit in the second frame.
A scrappy third went Selby's way, before the Englishman hit the only century of the match with a 123 taking him two frames from victory.
Another half century, of 61, took him to a 75-0 win in the fifth, before he battled to a 87-47 decider in the sixth frame.
The winner of each semi-final is guaranteed a minimum of £45,000 in prize money, with the champion to receive £100,000.
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