Mark Selby claimed his first title since the 2021 World Championship when beating Luca Brecel 9-6 in the final of the English Open in Brentwood.
It was a poignant success for the four-time world champion who has fought a running battle with depression in recent years, but he was at his clinical best on Sunday and had too many guns for Brecel whose effort petered out in the evening session.
After Selby had dominated the early proceedings, Brecel fought his way back into the match and would have been the happier of the two players when the first session concluded with the scores all square at 4-4.
However, Selby hit back in typical fashion after the resumption and regained a two-frame lead with breaks of 51 and 61, only for Brecel to compile the final’s first century, a brilliant run of 122 which reduced his arrears to 6-5.
Selby managed to keep Brecel at arms length by winning a protracted 12th frame to lead 7-5, though the Belgian was visibly frustrated to spurn a couple of glorious chances to draw level once more, first with the rest and then when missing a thin cut on the final red.
Selby won the next frame to move within a frame of the title, before Brecel made his last telling contribution of the final by very nearly producing the second 147 maximum break of the week, only to miss the 15th black.
It was to prove his final act as Selby wrapped up victory with a run of 87, the 39-year-old ending a year that began with him baring his soul about his mental health issues on a high as he celebrated his 21st ranking title success.
An emotional Selby told Eurosport afterwards: “I think for me this has to go down as the biggest achievement, back from where I was in January.
“I’ve been suffering for a few years silently. Only Vikki and my family really knew and it’s been tough, from January, trying to get myself back on my feet.
“It’s not been easy, probably the biggest challenge of my life, so coming out here and winning a tournament is incredible really.
“There’s not enough words I can say about Vikki. If it wasn’t for her I definitely wouldn’t be stood here today, that’s for sure.”
