Steely Selby is China champ
MARK SELBY secured the China championship with a thrilling final-frame win over John Higgins.
The World No1 pocketed the £150,000 first prize for his 10-9 victory in Guangzhou.
Selby, 35, won the final two frames to chalk up his 15th ranking title and boost his chances of hanging on to top spot.
Mark Williams and Ronnie O’Sullivan may have to wait for their chance to get back to the summit after this show of force.
It was surprisingly a first final outside the world championship between two proven greats of the game. Higgins came so close to a 31st ranking title that would have left him only two shy of O’Sullivan’s haul. But Selby held his nerve to win the last two frames after missing a black in the 17th frame to allow the Scot to edge ahead at 9-8. The champion said: “John is one of the all-time greats so playing in another major final and coming out on the winning side… it doesn’t get any better. “I felt my game was in good shape coming in, and I was always going to enjoy it.” SPAIN’S Alejandro Valverde ended his long wait for victory in the men’s road race at the World Championships in Innsbruck.
The 38-year-old had finished on the podium a record six times without taking the rainbow jersey. But after six hours 45 minutes in the saddle on a mountainous 258km route, he held off France’s Romain Bardet and Michael Woods of Canada in a sprint finish. Peter Kennaugh was the best-placed Briton in 16th.