World Grand Prix snooker: Mark Selby beats Ali Carter in decider to set up quarter-final clash with Judd Trump

Updated 18/01/2024 at 15:49 GMT

Mark Selby beat Ali Carter 4-3 in the last 16 of the World Grand Prix to set up a quarter-final clash with Judd Trump. Selby made breaks 62, 105, 62 and 77 in the final frame to seal victory in what was a high-quality contest at Leicester's Morningside Arena. Trump's progress was far more serene, as he completed a 4-0 whitewash win over Lyu Haotian as he bids for a fourth title.

'I was so frustrated' - Selby relieved missed shot after crowd noise wasn't costly

Mark Selby beat Ali Carter in a deciding frame to book his place in the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix.

In a match that swung this way and that, Selby made five 50-plus breaks, including a 798th century of his career, to get over the line and set up a mouth-watering clash with Judd Trump.

Selby, who admitted he “didn’t deserve” to beat Yuan Sijun in the first round, clinched the opening frame after forcing a mistake from his opponent with some trademark pinpoint safety.

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The four-time world champion made a break of 62 and although he missed frame ball, Carter managed just a point in response.

Selby looked set to double his advantage in the next after splitting the pack to perfection on 50 but he missed an "unforgivable" red to hand Carter an unlikely chance, and ‘The Captain’ took full advantage to draw level courtesy of a break of 66.

The third was a scrappier affair. A break of 29 gave Carter a slender lead before a safety battle ensued and it was Selby who broke the stalemate with a stunning long red.

But with another frame at his mercy, an uncharacteristic miss allowed Carter in for a steal that took him 2-1 ahead.

A brilliant 105 brought Selby back level at 2-2 and he moved within one of victory with a break of 62 in the next before Carter set up a deciding frame with his first century of the match.

The Captain had the first chance but was left to rue a miss on a straightforward red that was punished by Selby, who will play Trump next in what promises to be a blockbuster encounter.

"These best of sevens you just want to get off to a good start and that's what I did then missed an unforgivable red into the middle," Selby told ITV. "Sometimes you sit in your chair and wonder if that's the turning point in the match but thankfully for me it wasn't and I managed to pull myself together."

On his upcoming match with Trump, he added: "I look forward to it. Judd is one of the all-time greats himself so it's always a tough game. You know if you don't play your best game you're going home."

On the other table, Trump completed a rapid whitewash victory over Lyu Haotian.

He wasn’t at his clinical best but benefitted from an odd pattern that emerged to make another quarter-final as he bids for a fourth ranking title of the season.

Trailing Trump in the first three frames, Lyu broke down on the final red on each occasion to give the three-time Grand Prix champion an unassailable lead.

A break of 72 in the fourth frame sealed Trump's progress.

In the surprise result of Wednesday night at the Grand Prix, Cao Yupeng thrashed Shaun Murphy.

Murphy was the form player of the opening round in dispatching John Higgins 4-0 in just 41 minutes but found himself on the receiving end of a whitewash this time around.

Breaks of 70, 55 and 62 put Cao 3-0 ahead before he potted a superb long black at the end of a scrappy fourth frame to beat the 2016 champion.

Cao will play Mark Williams next, after the Welshman booked his place in his 111th ranking event quarter-final with a 4-1 win over Hossein Vafaei in a match that featured a couple of bizarre incidents.

Williams was in fine fettle from the outset, composing a superb break of 108 to clinch the first frame before a counting error proved costly for Vafaei in the second.

Needing pink and black to pinch the frame and level at 1-1, the Iranian cut a bemused figure after leaving himself a full-table pot on the black and realising his mistake.

He had a chance to make amends when he was left a cut into the right middle but missed to leave Williams a sitter into the same pocket.

A break of 76 then made it 3-0 before Vafaei avoided the dreaded whitewash with an 87.

It only delayed the inevitable but there was drama in the final frame. Williams was penalised seven points for putting the cue ball in his pocket as referee Olivier Marteel replaced the pink before Vafaei stormed off without shaking hands after his fate was sealed.

The World Grand Prix continues on Thursday, with Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Allen and Ding Junhui in action as they bid for a place in the last eight.

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