Higgins Hails ‘Incredible’ Mark Selby Following 10-5 Victory in Final
John Higgins praised Mark Selby for “putting on a clinic” after he beat the Scot 10-5 in the final of the British Open.
Selby ended an 18-month wait for a ranking title as he reeled off the last three frames in a row to clinch victory over Higgins.
Four-time world champion Selby made two century breaks and finished with back-to-back breaks of 91 and 93. “He put on a clinic tonight – he played amazing,” said Higgins.
“Just disappointed in the 10th frame I had the balls at my mercy and I couldn’t close it out to make it 5-5.
“You always know there’s a certain point at the match, and that was a point where I sort of gave it away and Mark just got stronger and stronger. He played amazing, that’s what he does, Mark Selby.”
Despite defeat in the final, Higgins is set for a return to the top 16 in the world rankings after recently falling out for the first time since April 1995.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed it,” added Higgins about his run to the final. “Just a bit disappointed, but the session tonight I didn’t bring anywhere near a good enough game to compete with Mark.
“Every credit, congratulations, he played amazing. I am still trying to compete with these top guys but you have to bring a higher level and I don’t know if I’ve got it. I thoroughly enjoyed the final, but Mark was too good.”
Selby’s last ranking title was in March 2023 and his form over the last few years has been up and down.
But he showed signs of returning to his best at the British Open and proved too strong for Higgins as he pulled away in the final.
“I played great today from start to finish, I don’t feel like I made too many mistakes,” said Selby.
“At 7-4 I missed a red in the corner and John ended up pinching the frame. I went to the interval thinking ‘could that be the difference between me winning and losing?’
“But I kept on going and kept my focus and when I had my chances I took them.
“Just winning any tournament nowadays is special because the standard is so tough. John saying he is not sure if he can get to a higher level is a load of rubbish in my opinion.
“I have got so much respect for John and his family. He is one of the all-time greats and every time I play him I relish the moment because he’s an absolute legend.”
The British Open victory is the 23rd ranking title of Selby’s career.
“I always say if you win a tournament you never get to breeze through,” he added.
“There’s probably one or two matches where you probably should have lost and you have managed to scrape through and I managed to do that this week.”