Selby does not make excuses for shock exit

DEFENDING champion Mark Selby insists he has no excuses after he made an early exit at the Betway UK Championship in York.

The world number one took a 2-0 lead against Scott Donaldson in the best-of-11 frame format but the threetime world champion lost six of the next seven to suffer a 6-3 second-round defeat.

Selby took the opening frame courtesy of a 68 break and extended his advantage before the 23-year-old halved the deficit with a wonderful run of 88.

Donaldson won the next two to nudge ahead for the first time in the match before Selby levelled following another half-century run.

The Scot maintained his composure and rattle off the last three frames to earn the shock win after compiling breaks of 90, 77 and 84 to advance to the third round of the competition for just the second time in his career.

Selby praised the young Scot, who will face China’s Li Hang in the third round at the Barbican Centre.

He said: “Everyone seems to be playing at that standard against me at the moment. I rate Scott as a player, he’s got a good all-round game, he scores well as you’ve just seen today.

“It didn’t surprise me, him playing like that, because I’ve played him before four or five times and he’s performed like that every time. He closed the match out really well.

“If I had kept missing and not taken my chances then it would have hurt a lot more. I’ve got no excuses.”

The result is even more remarkable considering Donaldson had won just one match this season. Mark Selby knocked out