The Final in Cheltenham today will oppose Mark Selby and Jak Jones. Most fans were expecting a Selby v Trump final I suppose, but Jak had other ideas …
Mark Selby came through a marathon five-hour battle against Liam Highfield by a 6-3 scoreline to reach the final of the Unibet British Open and boost his hopes of a second ranking title within three weeks.
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Renowned for his determination and focus, Selby outlasted his opponent in a tie which had an average frame time of 32 minutes. The match was in danger of being delayed until after the evening session, but Selby pulled away from 3-3 to take the last three frames and secure a 40th ranking event final.
On Sunday over a possible 19 frames he will face Judd Trump or Jak Jones for the Clive Everton Trophy and a top prize of £100,000. Selby will be aiming for a 27th ranking title, which would bring him level with Mark Williams in sixth place on the all-time list. The world number four – who could climb to second if he wins the title – is enjoying a tremendous start to the season having landed the China Open crown last month.
The 43-year-old from Leicester has also extended his superb recent record in the British Open, as he was runner-up to Williams in 2023, then beat John Higgins in the 2024 final and also reached the semis last year.
Highfield, who was playing in the semi-finals of a ranking event for the first time, took an early 2-1 lead; Selby winning the second frame with a break of 85. The fourth lasted 76 minutes and came down to a battle on the brown, resolved when a safety error from Highfield left it over a centre pocket and his opponent cleared to level the tie. The next was also settled on the colours as Selby, leading by 25 points, laid a tough snooker on the yellow which set up the chance for him to go ahead for the first time.
In the sixth, Highfield trailed 37-15 when he slotted in a long red and went on to make 56 for 3-3. But Highfield potted just one red in the next two frames as Selby took them both with a top break of 53 to lead 5-3. In frame nine, Selby was on 29 when he went into the pack off the blue and knocked a red in, then Highfield looked set for 5-4 until he ran out of position on 62. He later missed a mid-range pot on the penultimate red, and four-time Crucible king Selby seized the opportunity to settle the result with an excellent 39 clearance.
“It was a tough match, Liam didn’t make it easy for me at all,” said Selby, whose first ranking final came at the 2003 Scottish Open. “His safety was incredible. I can’t remember him playing a poor safety shot all the way through the match. The frames just went scrappy, if no one got in first and won it in one visit, the frames seemed to just follow the same pattern. It was hard to keep your patience and not try and push the boat out because you get frustrated. I was out there fighting.
“It looked like going 3-1, he probably deserved to be in front. That was probably the difference between me winning and losing the match, it was a key turning point. I won the next frame to go 3-2 up, then the momentum was on my side.
“To think, when I was starting out, a 16-year-old kid in 1999, if somebody had said I’d get to 40 ranking finals, I’d have said ‘no chance.’ I’d have been happy to get to just one or two.
“Hopefully I get another victory tomorrow, but if not I’ll keep on trying and keep playing the way I’ve played this season. It has been my best ever start to a season, I’ve played four tournaments and only lost two matches.“
Jak Jones scored a surprise 6-3 victory over Judd Trump in the semi-finals of the Unibet British Open as he continued to chase a second ranking title of the season.
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After thrashing world number one Zhao Xintong 5-1 on Friday night, Trump may have expected to progress to the final in Cheltenham, but tonight’s display was well below his usual standard as world number 31 Jones pulled away from 3-3 to take the last three frames. The Welshman goes through to Sunday to face Mark Selby over a possible 19 frames for the Clive Everton Trophy.
Tonight’s contest was reminiscent of the 2024 World Championship quarter-final fixture when a frustrated Trump was unable to get on top of a gritty Jones, who won that tie 13-9. On that occasion Jones finished runner-up to Kyren Wilson, and at the start of the current season he broke new ground by winning the Championship League, his first ranking title. The 33-year-old is now into a third ranking final and is already guaranteed a pay-day of £45,000.
Jones dominated the opening frame with runs of 46 and 44 then came from 46-0 down to take the second with a 95 clearance. Trump pulled one back with a 77 before Jones compiled a break of 68 for 3-1. Trump’s 54 helped win him the fifth, and in frame six he led 52-19 when an attempted mid-range red missed the target. Jones had a chance to clear for 4-2 but rattled the penultimate red in the jaws of a top corner and instead it was 3-3.
However, Cwmbran cueman Jones regained the momentum as breaks of 59 and 52 helped give him the next two frames for 5-3. Frame nine came down to the colours and Trump knocked in a mid-range yellow, but then over-cut a tricky green to a baulk corner. Jones cleared from green to pink to complete one of his career best results.
“I knew it would be very tough, Judd missed a few balls early on and I punished him,” said Jones. “I let him back into it at 3-3 but then made a good break in the next frame. I enjoy taking on the top players because I know I have to play well.
“I practised hard over the summer, it has been my best start to a season and I feel good about my life on and off the table. Mark Selby is one of the all-time greats, he’s big favourite but hopefully I can give him a decent game.“
Jak Jones is an under-rated player. At his best he’s very, very strong and he proved it again this week. As mentioned in the above report, he’s a former Crucible finalist. He may well cause an “upset” today, and by that I mean that he may well upset quite a few gamblers … which would please me very much!
Don’t misunderstand me here, this is nothing against Mark Selby, but I absolutely loath the whole betting business and any result that could possibly cause them to lose money is welcome! I have said this before and I will say it again: during my professional life, I lost three colleagues to suicide. One had been left maimed and disfigured after a terrible car accident. She had lost the capacity to taste her food, to perceive smells and she was in constant unbearable pain. She couldn’t take it anymore. The other two took their own life over overwhelming betting debts and both left a partner and children behind. Also, it is well documented how former snooker star Willie Thorne suffered from a severe, life-long gambling addiction that led to bankruptcy, severe depression, and immense personal problems and distress. If it was for me, promotion for betting in any form should be made illegal. I know that it would cause snooker a sponsoring issue, but that I’m sure could be solved if decent efforts are put in it.