Mark Selby ended an emotionally draining year with his “greatest achievement” - winning the English Open to end a 20-month title drought on Sunday night.
The four-time world champion beat Belgium’s Luca Brecel 9-6 at the Brentwood Centre in Essex for a 21st success in a ranking tournament.
Selby’s last silverware came with his fourth World Championship victory at the Crucible in Sheffield in 2021, and he maintained a phenomenal strike rate in finals by winning a 13th in his last 14 attempts. It also extended a run going back to 2010 – just – of winning at least one title in each calendar year.
But back in January world number three Selby, 39, had revealed publicly and bravely at the Masters that he had been suffering with depression and that his mental health was not in a good place. The Leicester Jester took time out of the game and received huge praise from high-profile charities for being open about seeking professional help for his wellbeing.
Selby himself admitted that speaking out had been cathartic and a huge help, and after a year that has seen him getting back to his best on and off the table this was a great way to sign off for 2022.
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There was disappointment for the 27-year-old Brecel, the world number 11, who had been hoping to build on his Championship League success at the start of the campaign. But it was Selby who picked up the Steve Davis Trophy, and the £80,000 first prize will see him move up to world number two this week.
He also shrugged off a heckling fan who was finally ejected by security after being warned several times for shouting out by referee Tatiana Woollaston.
In tears, Selby said: “I think for me this probably has to go down as my biggest achievement, from where I was back in January.
“I had been suffering silently for a few years, and only my wife Vikki and close family really know. It has been tough since January trying to get myself back on my feet. It has not been easy, probably the biggest challenge of my life, and so to be back out here enjoying my snooker again is all I ever wanted to do. To win a tournament is incredible.
“Vikki…there are not enough words. If it wasn’t for her I definitely wouldn’t be stood here, that’s for sure.”
Mark Selby beats Luca Brecel 9-6 to win the 2022 @BetVictor English Open, his first title for 19 months, and £80,000!
#HomeNations 🏴 | @markjesterselby
Brecel said: “I have to thank my dad for being in the final – I wasn’t feeling well last week and was contemplating not even coming to the tournament, I wasn’t going to come. But he persuaded me and told me I should come because I might regret it if I didn’t.
“It wasn’t my best today, but it has been a great week for me. And I am very pleased for Mark and would like to say well done to him, it is great to see him back – you can see how emotional he is, it has been a very tough time for him off the table but it was so good how he spoke out openly about depression and everything. He has a great family, it is nice for them.
“And it was nice to have my mum and dad here, especially my mum – she hasn’t been to a tournament for four years. So for me to get to the final was fantastic and hopefully next time I can win it for her.”
Selby powered into a strong early lead in the first session of the match as breaks of 90, 57, 74 and 52 helped open up a commanding 4-1 lead, But Brecel refused to buckle and by the end of the afternoon, with neither player at their fluent best, had scrapped his way back to parity at 4-4 going into the decisive evening frames.
Selby kicked on once more, surging ahead thanks to breaks of 51 and 61. And though Brecel trimmed the deficit with a run of 122, the highest of the final to that point, his opponent restored the two-frame advantage at 7-5.
Brecel missed the 15th black on a maximum attempt in frame 14, ending on 113 but Selby soon closed things out – finishing with a flourish and a break of 87.
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