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Mark Selby crashed out on the opening hurdle of the World Championship for the first time since 2018 as debutant Joe O’Connor completed a famous win at the Crucible.
Four-time champion Selby showed his mettle by taking three of the first four frames on Monday afternoon, but O’Connor steadied after the interval to complete a 10-6 victory.
Selby needed a fast start on Monday, and a 112 break was the perfect tonic, only for O’Connor to hit back immediately for 8-3.
But Selby started to take control and when he pocketed a pressure black in the 12th frame, it looked as though the momentum was shifting. Although he found himself tied up with his next shot, he soon returned to tick off another frame in his salvage mission.
O’Connor finally looked set to build a big break in the next but broke down on 27, allowing Selby to swoop in with a brilliant 91 to leave him just three frames away from his rival at the interval.
Selby continued to impress upon the resumption, bulleting home a three-ball plant that split the reds to hint at a sustained revival. But he was left without an easy colour, with a poor safety shot leaving the table wide open for O’Connor.
O’Connor stepped in and made a nervy 57, with Eurosport commentator Neal Foulds fearing the 28-year-old was “tightening up a little bit”, but Selby fluffed his next shot as the debutant belatedly moved within one frame of victory.
‘He’ll be in the audience at this rate!’ – Selby forced to use super long cue
He took the initiative in a scrappy, turgid 16th frame with a beautiful plant, but an in-off invited O’Connor back to the table with the reds dotted about awkwardly. O’Connor duly sunk the reds one by one, teeing himself up for the tricky last one with a stunning pot on the black. But there was still time for late drama.
O’Connor missed the final red down the cushion, Selby returned the favour with a wild effort, the underdog blew another pot opportunity, only for Selby to leave the red on again. Finally, at the third attempt, O’Connor clunked it home and cleared to black to complete one of the biggest wins of his career and set up a second-round date with either Kyren Wilson or Dominic Dale.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
