Mark Selby was beaten 10-6 by Jak Jones in the British Open final, with the Welshman claiming the biggest title of his career, but the night turned sour for Selby after swearing on live TV
Mark Selby could face a fine for swearing during his television interview just moments after losing the British Open final. The Jester from Leicester was beaten in the showpiece by Jak Jones, with the Welshman claiming a well-deserved 10-6 victory.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on the trophy, it marked another strong showing from Selby at the British Open. The four-time world champion began the campaign by capturing the China Open, before reaching the quarter-finals in Wuhan, and now featuring in the finale at the British Open.
This has propelled the Englishman up the world rankings to fourth place, with Selby among five players separated by just £250,000 at the summit. However, Selby may need to reach into those earnings to cover a potential penalty after using foul language on live television following his final loss.
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When quizzed about the battle for world number one by Channel 5, Selby replied: “I’m just happy I’ve got a day off tomorrow because I feel absolutely f*****. I’ve got nothing left.”
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While it’s completely understandable that Selby feels drained from the demands of the snooker circuit, that likely won’t prevent his colourful language from landing him a penalty. Channel 5 were swift to issue an apology after Selby’s verbal slip.
On the final itself, Selby said: “I thought he [Jones] played great today, from start to finish. Every time he got a chance it looked like he was going to score. His safety was great, long game was good. I’ve no complaints, the better player won on the day. It was only a matter of time for me before he won a big major tournament.”
The triumph marked the most significant title victory of Jones’ career, with the 33 year old pocketing £100,000 in prize money. The newly-crowned British Open champion said: “I can’t believe it. I think Mark was being kind saying I was the better player because I definitely wasn’t.
“I thought I dragged him down a little bit – I never thought I’d be able to grind Mark Selby down! I felt really bad all day, I didn’t feel comfortable until the end which was strange.
“To play someone like Mark in a final is amazing, I’m usually sat at home watching him on the TV! It’s been difficult for the last few years battling away, especially for my wife, parents and son.”
Before adding: “So this season to start winning things just feels amazing. It’s all worth it I suppose for my parents to have something to cheer! Play tomorrow? No. My wife would kill me I think!”.