Busy best-of-seven schedule is helping Selby hit top form
LEICESTER CUEMAN INTO FOURTH ROUND OF ENGLISH OPEN ALONG WITH BEN WOOLLASTON, BUT FORD AND O’CONNOR CRASH OUT
MARK SELBY reckons the unique Home Nations format has held the key to his glittering record in the best-of-seven matches, writes Will Jennings of Sportsbeat.
The Leicester cueman edged an entertaining contest against world No.33 Liang Wenbo 4-3 yesterday to book his place in the English Open fourth round on a busy day in Milton Keynes.
The Home Nations events – which also include the Northern Ireland, Scottish and Welsh Opens – whittle down 128 players to just one in the space of seven days as both third and fourth round matches take place on day four.
Defending champion Selby, who was due to face Iran’s Hossein Vafaei in the last 16, had won 19 consecutive Home Nations best-of-seven matches before that and says the busy schedule helps him build momentum.
Asked whether he enjoys playing two matches in one day, the 37-year-old said: “I prefer it really.
“We had the Players Tour Championship a few years ago where we were playing two or three matches on one day and if you got through to the Sunday you were playing a possible four matches best-of-seven.
“To play two best-of-sevens on one day is not really too draining – you’d probably do that at home when you’re practising, whoever you’re practising with, so I haven’t got a problem with that at all.
“I thought I played well – the first frame was scrappy and we both missed a few and it could have gone either way but after that I thought I played okay.
“From 2-1 up I played one or two loose shots but it’s not as though the frame was there for the taking.
“Liang took out two great breaks to go 3-2 up and then looked like winning the match 4-2, and I’d have had no complaints.
“I’ll probably just chill now, get some rest in the room, have a knock later and watch some snooker myself.”
Three-time world champion Selby won a topsy-turvy contest against China’s Liang, twice battling from behind to book his place in the last 16.
Liang, who won the English Open back in 2016, crafted breaks of 95, 80, 54 and 51 but efforts of 61 and 56 from Selby helped him get over the line.
World No.42 Ben Woollaston was another Leicester player to progress to last night’s fourth round as he beat Swiss No.1 Alexander Ursenbacher 4-1.
Neither player made any breaks of note but Woollaston, runner-up at the 2015 Welsh Open, held his nerve to advance at the Marshall Arena.
Elsewhere, fellow city players Tom Ford and Joe O’Connor succumbed to 4-2 defeats against Ding Junhui and Barry Hawkins respectively.
Watch the snooker English Open live on Eurosport, Eurosport app and Quest.