Mark Selby remained philosophical following his exit from the Champion of Champions on Wednesday evening. The world champion has enjoyed a busy few weeks, most recently winning the International Championship in Daqing and only arrived back in the UK on Tuesday. However, he wasted little time in getting back into the action, turning up in Coventry on Wednesday morning and beat Liang Wenbo 4-3 in his opening match at the Ricoh Arena.
He looked in good shape to repeat the trick later on when he opened with a 125 against Luca Brecel but could not match the Belgian from there on in. Brecel, who had beaten Judd Trump 4-0 in his opener, took a 3-1 lead into the interval and despite Selby’s best efforts, eventually triumphed 6-4. He will now take on Shaun Murphy in the semi-finals while for Selby it will be a rare weekend off. The 34-year-old may well benefit from a rest having featured in seven of the nine tournaments played so far this season and his next goal is likely to be the UK Championship.
Selby is 4/1 to successfully defend in York, with Ronnie O’Sullivan 9/2 and speaking after his defeat in Coventry, the Jester was in philosophical mood, admitting his opponent deserved to win. “Luca played well all match. I missed a blue to go 2-2 at the interval, and if I pot that it could be a different game,” he said. “He scored well when he got in more times than not, and he made a great clearance at the end. “He has had a great season so far and he is showing the potential everybody has been talking about for many years.”
Snooker odds available at Dafabet.