05 May,2021 07:12 AM IST | London | AFP
Britain’s Mark Selby after winning the World Snooker Championship on Monday. Pic/Getty Images
Mark Selby won a fourth world snooker title as he held off a stirring fightback from Shaun Murphy to win 18-15 in front of a capacity crowd at the Crucible. Selby punched the air after sinking the final black under immense pressure to join John Higgins as a four-time world champ.
Selby, 37, had endured a torrid time after winning his previous crown in 2017, crashing out in the first round as defending champion and surrendering his status as World No. 1 after going over two-and-a-half years without a British-based ranking title.
Selby strode out for the final session with a 14-11 advantage, but well aware of the danger posed by Murphy, who had roared into the final in the kind of free-flowing form that evoked memories of his charge to the title as a fresh-faced qualifier in 2005.
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After Selby moved to within one frame of victory, Murphy produced back-to-back centuries to set up a nervy finale. He came close to taking another after Selby broke down on a break of 38 in the next, but a difficult red down the cushion proved a step too far, and Selby duly cleared up. "Absolutely incredible. Every time you get to a world final you always try your hardest because it's such a tough tournament to get there and you never know if it's going to be your last or not," said Selby.
"A few years ago I had some really, really dark days and times were tough, obviously all the family will understand what I'm going through, so this has been a special one." Selby's win moved him back up to No. 2 in the world rankings. "My aim is to try and get back to number one," he added.
Murphy paid tribute to the champion, telling the BBC: "He's just super-granite. Unfortunately, for me I've known him since we were nine years of age and he's always been the same."
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