With a classic performance, Mark Selby defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-0 to advance to the Players Championship semifinals in Telford.
O’Sullivan, the current world number one, has now won four major ranking titles this season, making him appear virtually unbeatable.
But Selby—a four-time world champion himself—put on an excellent show, ending O’Sullivan’s 16-match winning streak with half-century breaks or more in five frames.
Referee Desislava Bozhilova’s decision to not alert O’Sullivan after a second missed attempt in which he could see one side of a red was controversial at the beginning of the match.
She quickly realized her mistake, expressed regret to both players, and told the world number one he would lose the frame if he failed to hit a red on his subsequent shot.
In response, O’Sullivan bashed into the reds, setting the table for Selby to finally win the match with a break of 65.
After clearing 91, Selby, who will face either John Higgins or Zhang Anda of China in the semifinals, quickly gained early momentum. O’Sullivan’s lead was further increased by another break of 81 after he failed to capitalize on a chance in the third.
The Leicester Jester was putting on a show reminiscent of the old days, scoring another excellent break of 105 to lead 4-0 at the mid-session break.
After play resumed, O’Sullivan kept hitting mishit shots, landing in the top pocket and off a red, while Selby went on to win the fifth frame with a 59 clearance.
After running out of position and attempting a safety shot back up the table, the Rocket eventually engaged its gears in the following frame with a break of 58, leaving a red on.
After a few tight exchanges, Selby won the frame 70-58 with a swift long red into the bottom left corner. O’Sullivan had left the ball just over the pocket before Selby skillfully finished off the match by clearing the colours.
It’s a tremendous scoreline to beat Ronnie in any competition, and I’m really happy with the way I defeated him. “It was nearly flawless,” Selby stated on ITV4.
“You might as well put your cue away because it’s a big game and if you can’t handle matches like that.”
“I was sure I could win because, in most cases, the score will go the other way if you don’t.”
The most important thing for me is that, although I try to change things when I don’t win, these two performances have shown me that what I am doing now is what I should keep doing.whether I succeed or fail.
In the afternoon session on Thursday at the International Centre, Mark Allen of Northern Ireland defeated Gary Wilson 6-4 after a grueling four-hour match.
With two half-century breaks, 38-year-old Allen jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and led 3-1 at the half, scoring 75 runs.
Wilson, who took home the BetVictor Welsh Open title on Sunday, then rallied to tie the match at 3-3 after making a 76-stroke break.
The world number three Allen, nevertheless, persevered once more to win the seventh and eighth frames. He then missed a match-ball opportunity in the following set, but he eventually completed the victory with a 69 break.
After defeating former world champion Mark Williams in the opening round, Allen will face Ali Carter in the Sunday final.
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