Antwerp Open

Mark Selby won his first tournament of the season with a
4-3 win over Ronnie O'Sullivan Image: Monique Limbos

Mark Selby produced a fine comeback from 3-1 down to down Ronnie O’Sullivan in a final frame decider to scoop the penultimate European Tour event in Belgium on Sunday evening. The Rocket looked set to take the match with that lead thanks to breaks of 74 and 54 but Selby dug deep and made runs of 61, 126 and 77 so complete the comeback and take the 25,000 euro winner’s prize.

It was Selby’s first triumph of the season and he defeated Jack Lisowski, another player who sprung to life at the weekend following a slow start to the campaign. Breaks of 83 and 64 put the Jester 3-0 up and although Lisowski won the next two, it was to no avail as Selby took the sixth.

O’Sullivan was in fine break-building form as he saw off Ben Woollaston 4-2 in the other semi to gain revenge on the Leicester man after he had beaten him in Gloucester last weekend. The Rocket hot top runs of 100 and 123 in the match.

O’Sullivan recorded a whitewash in his quarter-final against Joe Perry, including break sof 70, 65 and 97. Woollaston meanwhile, came through a final frame decider against a recently resurgent Joel Walker, thanks to a 135 break in the seventh. Sheffield teenager Walker looks set to keep his place on the tour as he is now up to second on the list of qualifying players on the European Order of Merit.

Selby made it through his quarter with an excellent win over a recently red-hot Ding Junhui, with top runs of 80 and 103 on his way to a 4-1 victory. The other quarter-final saw Lisowski ease his way past India’s Aditya Mehta 4-0.

Other notable players to have made it through to the final day’s round 16 included Sam Baird, who had beaten John Higgins 4-1 in the last 64 earlier in the tournament. Tony Drago also strengthened his position on the Order of Merit by making it through to the last 16, where he lost 4-1 to Mark Selby.

Selby also ended the tournament of Judd Trump at the last 64 stage, but Trump will remember that match for a long time to come, after he made his first competitive 147 maximum break, the 99th in competitive snooker.