Scottish Open snooker: Mark Selby beats Jack Lisowski 9-6 in Glasgow final
Mark Selby won his 17th ranking title with victory over Jack Lisowski at the 19.com Scottish Open in Glasgow.
Selby's 9-6 win saw him become the first player to win two home nations titles in the same season having lifted the English Open trophy in October.
Lisowski, who was bidding for a first ranking title at the third attempt, won the opening two frames of the final but three-time world champion Selby hit back to level.
The 28-year-old edged back in front 3-2 but that was the last time he would lead, with Selby taking three in a row to establish a 5-3 advantage at the interval.
Lisowski stayed in touch with his opponent but was unable to get back on level terms and it was Selby who lifted the Stephen Hendry Trophy after 79 unanswered points in the 15th frame.
Selby said: “It feels amazing. I had a disappointing performance at the UK Championship, I was telling myself I might not even play in this. I thought I should just get back on the bike and go again. Here I am now holding the trophy, unbelievable really.
“I knew I had to be on my game from the word go. Jack was never going to hold back from start to finish. Even right to the end he kept going for his shots. He didn’t shy away from anything. He is probably one of the best talents I’ve seen since Ronnie O’Sullivan. He hits the ball as well as anyone. It is only a matter of time before he wins something.
“Doing well in a UK event means my wife Vikki and daughter Sophia can come to finals like this. A lot of my wins have been in China which is difficult. To have them there means the world. Even if I had lost it would have been great to be with them. To be on the winning side it is fantastic.”
Lisowski said: “It is gutting to lose the final. You have to take the positives and this is a big step forward for me. I have built some momentum and I played some of the best snooker that I think I can play. That is a positive and my concentration is getting better.
“You have to think about it rationally or you can get depressed. I have qualifiers all next week. There are so many tournaments now that it is a numbers game and consistency rather than blowing hot and cold.
“It was amazing. The people were cheering me on and I don’t know if many people would have heard of me before today. I go for my shots and I think they appreciate that.”