Mark Selby wins WST Classic snooker title in front of delighted Leicester fans – 'Ready for world bid'
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Updated 23/03/2023 at 07:37 GMT
Mark Selby secured a major tournament victory for the first time in his home city of Leicester after hitting three centuries in a 6-2 win against Pang Junxu in the WST Classic final on Wednesday night at the Morningside Arena. "Hopefully, I can carry that into the Tour Championship, then the World Championship. I’ll be going to Sheffield confident," said the four-time world champion.
Emotional scenes as Selby claims English Open title after very tough year
Mark Selby claimed a first major title in his home city of Leicester with a 6-2 win over Pang Junxu in the inaugural WST Classic final at the Morningside Arena.
The four-time world champion hit three centuries on his way to securing his 22nd career ranking title, 15 years after his first at the 2008 Welsh Open when he edged Ronnie O'Sullivan 9-8 in Newport.
Having defeated fellow four-time world champion John Higgins (4-2) and Ali Carter (5-0) with a century and six breaks over 60 earlier on Wednesday, Selby continued his majestic scoring streak to secure the £80,000 first prize.
Selby began the night with breaks of 104 and 138 and never looked back.
Pang, competing in his first major final, made 75 in the third frame, but trailed 3-1 and 4-2 with Selby adding a third ton with 120 in the fifth frame before finishing the job off with a 79 in the eighth frame.
It is Selby's second ranking title of the 2022/23 campaign following his emotional 9-6 win over Luca Brecel in the English Open final in December.
The victory also catapults the world No. 2 into third spot on the one-year ranking list before the elite eight-man Tour Championship in Hull next week.
Selby will face Ryan Day in his tournament opener next Thursday at the penultimate ranking event of the season before the 47th World Championship begins in Sheffield (April 15-May 1).
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“I played well all day, against John Higgins in the quarter-finals and Ali in the semis, then continued that in the final,” said Selby, world champion in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021.
“I was just gutted at the end not to make a fourth century! I have been striking the ball well in practice and it was nice to take that to the match table.
"Even when I won the English Open in December, I wasn’t hitting the ball as well as I was this week.
"Hopefully, I can carry that into the Tour Championship then the World Championship. I’ll be going to Sheffield confident."
Semi-final report
Mark Selby buried Ali Carter under a barrage of breaks to reach the final of the WST Classic in Leicester with a 5-0 whitewash in a one-sided semi-final.
The four-time world champion is chasing a first ranking title in his home city and produced a relentless display of scoring with knocks of 95, 138, 65 and 89 enough to book his spot in the inaugural Classic final at 7pm UK time on Wednesday night.
Carter has a few days to regroup before the German Masters champion travels to Hull for the elite eight-man Tour Championship (March 27-April 2) – the final ranking event before the 47th World Championship breaks off next month (April 15-May 1).
21-time ranking event winner Selby is up to fifth on the one-year ranking list and could overtake Carter as third seed at the Tour Championship if he claims the £80,000 first prize at the Morningside Arena.
He will face Jimmy White's last-16 conqueror Pang Junxu, who completed a 5-4 win over Scottish Open champion Gary Wilson in the other semi-final.
Wilson contributed 121, 50 and 97 as he recovered from 2-0 and 3-1 behind to lead 4-3, but Pang secured his first final appearance with runs of 91 and 68.
The result means Wilson fails to qualify for the Tour Championship with Ding Junhui securing the final spot in the tournament by only 500 points via the one-year list.
Latest WST Classic results
Final (7pm UK time, best of 11 frames)
- Mark Selby 6-2 Pang Junxu
Semi-finals (2:30pm UK time, best of nine frames)
- Gary Wilson 4-5 Pang Junxu
- Ali Carter 0-5 Mark Selby
Quarter-finals (10am UK time, best of seven frames)
- Gary Wilson 4-1 Lukas Kleckers
- Pang Junxu 4-3 Oliver Lines
- Stuart Bingham 2-4 Ali Carter
- John Higgins 2-4 Mark Selby
Quarter-final report
Mark Selby maintained his push for a first ranking title in his home city of Leicester with a 4-2 win over John Higgins in the WST Classic quarter-finals.
Selby raced 3-0 clear of his fellow four-time world champion with breaks of 99, 80 and 59 before Higgins responded with 136 and 81 to maintain his hopes with his opponent failing to register a point.
After a high-quality battle of scoring and tactical excellence, the sixth frame was a nervier affair, but it was Selby who put the match away by clearing the final few reds and colours to advance to the last four at the Morningside Arena.
He will meet fellow Englishman Ali Carter over the best-of-nine frames at 2:30pm UK time with a place in the final on Wednesday night and an £80,000 first prize on the table.
Carter completed a 4-2 win over Stuart Bingham in a repeat of the 2020 Masters final won 10-8 by Bingham at Alexandra Palace.
Bingham opened the match with a 99 knock before winning the second frame, but it was the two-time world finalist Carter who reeled off four straight frames boosted by 87, 72 and a closing 65.
Bingham had opportunities to force the deciding frame, but could not take out the final red and colours as Carter scrambled over the finishing line to prevent a final-frame decider.
English Open winner Selby and German Masters champion Carter are both through to the Tour Championship in Hull next week and are also chasing second ranking titles of the season in Leicester.
Elsewhere, Gary Wilson needs one more win to overtake Ding Junhui and book his spot in the elite eight-man Tour event after completing a 4-1 win against Lukas Kleckers, who was competing in a quarter-final for the first time.
The Scottish Open holder Wilson was in peak scoring form as he produced breaks of 70, 79, 99, 103 and 86 to progress.
Wilson will face Jimmy White's conqueror Pang Junxu for a final place after Pang claimed the last two frames in a 4-3 win over Oliver Lines.
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Tour Championship qualifiers
- 1 Mark Allen £530,500
- 2 Shaun Murphy £240,000
- 3 Mark Selby £215,500
- 4 Ali Carter £203,500
- 5 Kyren Wilson £179,000
- 6 Ryan Day £159,000
- 7 Robert Milkins £157,500
- 8 Ding Junhui £140,500
- ---------------------------------------
- 9 Gary Wilson £140,000
- 10 Luca Brecel £131,000
- 11 Jack Lisowski £128,000
- 12 Judd Trump £120,000
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