Snooker results: Mark Selby rallies to beat Neil Robertson 6-4 at English Open

By Sporting Life

Snooker

Sat December 17, 2022 · 2y ago

Mark Selby found something from nothing to beat Neil Robertson 6-4 and progress to the English Open final, where he'll face Luca Brecel.

Another outstanding match in Brentwood featured three centuries and seven more breaks over 50, and it was Leicester’s Selby who came out on top to set up a final clash with Brecel on Sunday. First to nine frames will collect the Steve Davis Trophy and a top prize of £80,000.

It's been a lean run for four-time world champion Selby, whose last ranking final appearance came at the the Crucible in 2021, and having trailed 3-1 he appeared set for the exit door having lost his last seven matches against Robertson.

The Australian had been in electric form during the early exchanges, signing off the mini session with a sumptuous 141 clearance, but Selby came out firing to turn the match as a 136 break of his own saw him lead 4-3.

Robertson counterpunched with a run of 66 but a 104 break from Selby got him within a frame of victory which he sealed with a run of 85, both breaks made possible by long reds which spoke to his increasing confidence levels.

Give the Jester an inch and he takes a mile 🤩

Mark Selby hits a century to go 5-4 up and put pressure on Neil Robertson#EnglishOpen pic.twitter.com/Q9TdUmy3jN
— Eurosport (@eurosport) December 17, 2022

"The last few times Neil has beaten me I have played ok, I just haven’t had enough chances to win the match. Today I took virtually every chance from 3-1 down," said Selby, who has won 20 of his previous 30 ranking finals. "He is the best player in the world at the moment, the standard he is playing is phenomenal, so to beat him you have to be at the top of your game.

"From 3-1 to 3-3, Neil missed a couple, which is probably the first time he has missed a ball against me since the Romans were building the roads. Then from 4-4 I played well in the last two. I have been working hard and playing well in practice. That means nothing unless you are taking it out there to the match table. I have done that this season in patches and got to a few quarter and semi-finals.

"Whoever I play tomorrow, I’ll be out there fighting. Mark Allen has been the player of the season, Luca is a great talent and it’s good to see him in the later stages."

Referring to his ongoing battle with mental health issues, Selby added: "The biggest challenge I have ever faced has been since January this year, probably for the rest of my life. It’s never going to go away, I need to stay on top of it.

"Snooker is only a game, as long as you have your health that’s the most important thing. I never realised that before, I would get really down on myself. Now I am getting better."

Robertson optimistic ahead of 2023

Robertson, who has now lost three consecutive semi-finals in this season’s BetVictor Home Nations events, said: "I made a really good break to go 4-4 after sitting on the sidelines without a chance for a while. I went into the pack in the next frame at 29-0 and if that had come off I would have gone 5-4 ahead.

"In the last two frames I played good safety shots but he knocked in great long reds. I can’t be critical of myself, it’s not like the semi-final in Scotland (against Joe O’Connor) when I lost four or five frames where I was in control.

"Today I didn’t play any sloppy safety shots, both of us played some fantastic stuff. I have never played better than I have over the last few tournaments, you can see that with my scoring, winning frames in one visit.

"I take it as a great compliment that people are playing so well against me because they know they have to. I am enjoying the brand of snooker I am playing. I’m looking forward to the Christmas break and carrying that form into the Masters."

Brecel is much the best

The evening match was far more one-sided as Brecel steamrollered Allen to win 6-2 in under three hours.

Allen has been the star of the season but he was a spectator throughout the early exchanges as Brecel won the first five frames, just a day after he'd raced into a 4-0 lead over Judd Trump.

Allen conjured a typically gritty rally to keep the scoreline respectable but the outcome had appeared beyond doubt for some time when he was unable to capitalise on an outrageous fluke, a missed black proving his final contribution.

Brecel, tipped at 50/1 by Richard Mann prior to the event, rolled in five half-centuries without being at his absolute best as Allen's busy campaign perhaps finally began to show.

"I guess he's not unbeatable!" said Brecel. "I felt good today, much better than yesterday, more focused. Concentration and just the feeling in my arm was better today, I don't know why.

"Every time I come under pressure I feel like I'm going to deliver, I'm not going to crumble."

On Sunday's final, which will be watched by his mother in the audience, he added: "I love finals, that's why in the semis I get the most nervous. It's the best of 17, a real chance to showcase your game, especially against Mark.

"My mother, she never really comes to tournaments much. To be in the final is crazy."

Allen confessed that he hadn't been at his best as he tinkered a little with his technique, struggling in particularly at the beginning of frames.

"The disappointing thing to me was my safety tonight, so I was leaving Luca easy starters a lot of the time," he said. "Credit to Luca, he was much better than me tonight."