Mark Selby insists he is not happy with his recent performances despite booking his place in the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix. The world number one impressed by seeing off Neil Robertson 5-0 to seal a spot in the quarter-finals and although he went on to defeat Michael White, he wasn’t pleased with the manner of his performance.
Selby made the match much tougher than it needed to be as he ran out a 5-2 winner at Preston’s Guild Hall on Friday. The 34-year-old made several unforced errors but managed to get over line with breaks of 69, 59 and 52, which keeps him on course for the £100,000 top prize. The Jester undoubtedly needs to raise his game to find a way past China’s world number four Ding Junhui and he admits he is growing frustrated. Selby said: “I got frustrated today because I’m playing well on the practice table but it’s not happening out there in matches.
Any pot over six foot, I am not timing and cueing across it. “I’m glad I’m still in the tournament but I take pride in my performance so I’m not happy with that. In some frames I am getting three or four chances and only getting 20 points in front. I was trying to force myself to play well today rather than just focusing on trying to win.”
Selby heads into Saturday’s semi-final as the favourite and can be backed at 7/10, while Ding is priced at 11/10 to book his spot in the final at the World Grand Prix.