‘You have got to be joking!’ – Mark Selby loses frame in ‘extraordinary’ circumstances at Welsh Open
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ByEurosport
Updated 01/03/2022 at 08:36 GMT
Mark Selby is renowned for his ability to close out frames and matches of snooker. He looked certain to seal a 4-0 whitewash of Chen Zifan in the Welsh Open first round. The world No. 1 held a five-point advantage at 57-52 with his hand on the table and just the black left. However – playing safe – he contrived to pot the white and send the match at a fifth frame.
'Woah! You are joking aren’t you?' - Selby loses frame after remarkable error
Mark Selby made an inexplicable error during his first-round match against Chen Zifan at the Welsh Open.
The world No. 1 was in command of the fourth – and what looked like final – frame of the match. The three-time world champion held a five-point advantage over his opponent but a loose positional shot on the pink left him “handcuffed” to the black, as Dave Hendon on Eurosport commentary put it.
Given Selby’s prowess in safety, the error should have only represented a minor hindrance towards his progression to round two. However the 38-year-old - while attempting to play safe - rolled the white into the bottom pocket.
It was a remarkable error – one that gave Chen an unlikely gift, given a foul on the final black automatically hands the frame to your opponent (unless the seven-point foul would result in a tie, then the black is re-spotted).
“Woah, woah, woah,” said Joe Johnson on commentary as the white crept towards the pocket.
“You are joking aren’t you?” added Hendon. “You are joking! What a way to lose the frame! That is extraordinary – from Mark Selby of all people. Chen Zifan looks bemused by that but he has got a frame on the board.”
Selby would gather himself for the fifth frame to add a run of 70 to previous breaks of 69 and 70 to progress to the next round.
The world no. 1 will face Liam Highfield in the next round on Wednesday March 2.
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