Mark Selby was so close to a maximum break in Beijing. |
Mark Selby scored a 5-1 win over Mark King at the Bank of Beijing China Open, but the match will be remembered for Selby's missed black which would have given him a 147.
Selby joined a select group of professional players to miss the final black on 140, but it one of very few blemishes in what has to go down as his best performance of the season.
The UK and Masters champion, leading 2-0, appeared set for only the second competitive 147 of his career after a superb positional shot on the last red.
But the final black rattled the jaws and he missed out on a £23,500 bonus.
"I left myself a really tough black," he said later. "It wasn't nerves, it was just a tough shot and I missed."
Having already compiled breaks of 111 and 82, Selby followed his 140 with 91 and 104 to seal a meeting with Ricky Walden.
Neil Robertson also looked sharp in a 5-0 whitewash of Jimmy Robertson, which was highlighted by fluent breaks of 72, 58, 70 and 70.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)