Selby Triumphs in Glasgow! Scottish Open Final 2019 - Shorts Thoughts

As the final ranking event of the decade, we viewed a contest between two competitors of opposing styles and more importantly, experiences. Surprisingly, the inexperienced Jack Lisowski had a 4-3 winning record over World No. 6 Mark Selby coming into this final, with their most recent outing occurring in this year’s Shanghai Masters. It’s now a different tournament and a different stage, with the stakes much higher.

Breakdown

Despite it being a fairly scrappy affair, I’ll try to summarise. Lisowski got off to a great start in Frames 1 and 2 with breaks of 73, 58 and then a 55 following an unfortunate in-off from Selby to race into a lead. What made the start even better for Lisowski was the safety battle on the final red in Frame 2, which he managed to take from Selby. However, the in-off in Frame 2 was reciprocated for Selby as Lisowski fouled a red while potting a blue in Frame 3. Selby was able to make a 78 and a 75 in Frame 4 (with a wonderful split off the black) to level at the interval.

This was where Selby’s experience and fortitude started to turn the tide of the match. Despite Lisowski taking Frame 5, it took a re-rack and 3 attempts to win the frame, something that we’re not used to seeing from him. After missing a ‘relatively easy blue’ in the words of Joe Johnson in Frame 6, Selby was able to make one of the two centuries in the match, with a 117. Much like Frame 5, Selby took a handful of attempts to win Frame 7 (including the safety bout) and punished Lisowski losing position in Frame 8 to win the first session of the final.

Lisowski started strong coming back in the evening with a 119 break however, Selby wasn’t about to relinquish control over this match. Frame 10 saw the epic fluke from Selby as he cut a red into the left corner. Despite no hand raised, I’m convinced it was a fluke due to it being his 3rd warning shot of the frame. A pattern which emerged in this session was Lisowski not capitalising on Selby’s misses, something that did occur in this frame. Similar to Frame 3 though, the fluke then returned to Lisowski as he was able to make an 80 after a good Selby safety.

Frame 12 was an example of Selby’s hard-fought style and temperament. It was the longest frame of the match, going over 48 minutes but displayed brilliant safety and patience from the expert tactician. There wasn’t much in terms of one-visit contributions produced in this final as Selby took a couple attempts to pinch Frame 13, which included a wonderful follow through shot to go into a cluster of reds.

It was a good effort from Lisowski to try and make something happen to keep his chances of winning alive as he made breaks of 65 and 58 to take the 14th frame. However, Selby’s tenacity and experience saw him get over the winning line to secure his second Home Nations title; and also become the only person to win more than one Home Nations event in a single season.

Afterthoughts

Lisowski has had a brilliant week in Scotland, beating the likes of Higgins, Un-Nooh and Allen along the way. He performed far better this final than he did in his previous two endeavours which shows he is taking a step in the right direction. His overall performance is on the rise but he just needs to focus on being a bit more patient and better with his shot selection.

He reminds me a lot of a younger Judd Trump in the way that he plays and while it does provide an exciting way to play, it’s not a guaranteed method to becoming a serial winner like Trump, or his opponent, Selby. As soon as Trump adjusted his playstyle…well, we know what happened. Once Lisowski can do that, he can and will enter the winners circle. For now, he also needs to focus on getting to more ranking finals to become more comfortable in that environment.

It was a final filled with flukes, re-racks, scrappy frames and the occasional century, but Mark Selby was able to manage his way through the final in the way which has seen him be so successful in his career thus far. I’ve said this multiple times before (maybe not in a post, but definitely out loud) but no one dictates the pace of a snooker game like Selby. He controls the game to play exactly how he wants it, and can adapt when it is necessary.

It’s difficult to make a case against Selby being the most successful player of the decade. In this decade, he has won 16 ranking titles, more than any other player (O’Sullivan and Trump have both won 14); was No. 1 from 2012-19, holding that position for over 4 years without challenge; won 3 World Championships in four years, 2 Masters and 2 UK’s in a period which could be classified as the most competitive in snooker history. It shouldn’t be a surprise that a player of his stature would be claiming the final ranking title of the 2010s because it certainly is fitting. Well played, Mark.

*Editor Note: For these finals breakdowns, I have decided to separate them between the actual match breakdown and afterthought analysis. Hopefully, this will make it easier for those who want to just read a particular portion of the post. Even though this isn’t the final post of the year, it certainly feels like it and I want to thank everyone who has read and visited Snooker Shorts up until now!

Another Decider! O’Sullivan vs. Selby Scottish Open QF 2019 – Shorts Thoughts

Their last epic was one of the matches of the season last year at the NI Open, and 2 years before that they appeared in the UK Championship final. It’s quite a rare thing to see Mark Selby and Ronnie O’Sullivan go head-to-head nowadays but whenever it does, I move everything around to be able to watch their matches. Click here to read the breakdown I wrote on their last Instant Classic.

The game opened with a prepared Selby ready to deal with the O’Sullivan fist bump, utilising a rock, paper, scissors strategy; or according to Neil Foulds, the ‘paper, scissors, stones’ approach. Often forgotten that Selby is the Jester from Leicester, circumstances like this show that he still has that sense of humour.

Anyway, the first two frames saw each player exchange centuries, with Selby making a 120 in the first, despite O’Sullivan having the first opportunity; and a 123 response from O’Sullivan, taking advantage of a Selby long pot attempt which scattered the reds. Frame 3 was probably the scrappiest of the match which Selby was able to take with a little help from O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan did have his chances in this frame though, particularly when Selby tried to nestle behind the brown and just fell short (by millimetres), leaving a free ball. This didn’t impact O’Sullivan though as he levelled with a 113 break at the interval.

Frame 5 saw another century from O’Sullivan. This was the fourth century in five frames at this point in the match. The century break was compiled with 13 reds and 12 blacks at which point O’Sullivan switched to pink but couldn’t continue to clear. Selby took a couple chances due to running out of position to take frame 6, aided by a 47 break. Breaks of 42 and 46 pushed O’Sullivan in Frame 7 to take a 4-3 lead.

Selby strung a 56 to claim Frame 8 and force a decider. However, a turning point in this match was the foul that was called on a safety shot played by O’Sullivan which definitely hit. It was interesting how this was handled considering what happened with Mark Allen earlier this week. When O’Sullivan had to retake the shot, he left a long red which Selby potted and then made his 56, which is why many were upset with how this situation was managed.

And much like the NI Open semi-final last year, we have another decider. O’Sullivan played a tremendous opener against the cushion but didn’t play his next couple of shots well. Selby did well to make a frame winning contribution but when he sunk the frame winning red, he couldn’t pot the following black to stop O’Sullivan coming back to the table. O’Sullivan continued and managed to get a snooker on Selby which he missed, but an unfortunate kiss on the green on his next shot left the red hovering over the bottom right pocket which Selby potted to close out the match. Another fist bump and Selby progresses to the semis.

The only head-to-head that I would look forward to more than Trump/Robertson is an O’Sullivan/Selby matchup. As always, their matches prove to be close and showcase the strengths and characteristics of both players’ respective playstyles. This time around proved no different. O’Sullivan displayed his century break-building prowess while Selby exhibited his top level safety and ability to turnover scrappy frames.

What I particularly like about these two players is that they bring out the best in each other. Given O’Sullivan’s recent playstyle, he knows and respects Selby enough to bring out his serious game when playing him. Also, over recent years they’ve built up quite a good rapport with each other and hopefully we see them do a lot more punditry together, much like they did on Eurosport during the WSC 2018. It’s a lot rarer to see O’Sullivan and Selby contest each other these days which is why I look forward to and make time to watch them play (as well as writing on them).

For now, Selby progresses to the semi-finals of the Scottish Open, looking to add another Home Nations title to his recently collected English Open trophy. As for O’Sullivan, that next ranking win still eludes him in order to break the tie he holds with Hendry, but like the 7-time Champion always said: it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. Another great match between two of my favourites, and I will be here when they do it again!

A Refreshingly Different Final! UK Championship Final 2019 – Shorts Thoughts

This year’s first major saw a colossal battle between two players many thought were past their respective peaks. The UK Championship final saw a matchup between 2-time UKC winner, Ding Junhui and 2004 UKC winner, Stephen Maguire. It has been over a decade since either player were successful at this event and it’s as if they rolled back the years to bring a contest worthy of a Triple Crown final.

It wasn’t the best start for Maguire as he lost the first four frames of the session, including a fairly scrappy opener which saw each player have a few chances. Interestingly enough, Maguire was first with a chance in three out of the first four frames but missed blacks off the spot in Frames 1 and 3. This allowed Ding to compile 2 centuries in Frames 3 and 4 of 105 and 128 to provide him a stellar start to the final.

Maguire wasn’t going to let Ding run away with this final though. He brought out numerous displays of astonishing long pots which allowed him to get his first frame on the board. Frame 5 also saw well laid snookers from both players, each requiring 5 attempts for their escapes. Maguire was also then able to take Frames 6 and 7 which included some nice recovery shots in Frame 6 to reduce his arrears to 4-3. Ding was able to compose himself well throughout this final as he won the final frame of the afternoon session with a break of 66 to lead 5-3.

The evening session was just a powerhouse for all snooker lovers to enjoy. Ding capitalised off a mid-distance miss from Maguire to make 83 in Frame 9 and almost had Frame 10 stolen from him, but Maguire couldn’t sink the penultimate red. The score was 7-3 with the best yet to come.

The final 6 frames involved 5 centuries. After Ding took Frame 10, Maguire made 3 centuries in the next four frames including two 103 breaks (Maguire benefitted from a fortuitous fluke on his first red in Frame 11) and a 124. This brought the score line to a much closer 8-6 to Ding. Considering how the past couple of years have gone for Ding, most would have thought that this would have been the turning point for Maguire to win the championship. However, Ding matched Maguire’s two consecutive centuries made in Frames 13 and 14 with two of his own to close out the match. This included a 131 and what seems to be the magic number, a 103 in the final frame.

In what has been a season dominated by a few familiar faces so far, we were able to view a final involving two players further down the Top 16. Maguire and Ding produced phenomenal performances all week at a time where they would want it the most in order to make this Triple Crown final.

Maguire reached his first ranking final for over two years and despite not getting off to the best start, he was able to later produce the quality break-building that enabled him to run through Mark Allen 6-0 in their semi-final contest. Maguire should be able to take a lot of confidence from this run in York and know comfortably in his mind that his game is at a level where he can still reach Triple Crown finals.

As for Ding, he played in a manner which saw him win 5 ranking titles in 2013/14. And I’m not just referring to the final. He played at a top level throughout the entire week with convincing victories over Ronnie, O’Sullivan, Liang Wenbo and Yan Bingtao along the way. This is his first ranking title since 2017 and what a trophy to break the drought. Many thought that Ding was done and Asia’s top superstar would come elsewhere, but he has just proved that he is still the torchbearer and he isn’t going anywhere. If Ding can continue this level of performance, then he’s back to the mountaintop.

This year’s UKC was pretty special in that it saw the most centuries made with 139. But what I found more rewarding was that it also produced a resurgence for a number of players that were perhaps in the shadows. Nigel Bond, Matthew Stevens as well as our two finalists played spectacularly to show that high levels of competition can come from anywhere.

Judd Trump vs. Nigel Bond: What Happened? – Shorts Thoughts

‘M: Bond, we have a mission for you. Currently, the circuit is experiencing a monopoly like no other since the 1990s. Before we can allow this to get too far, we need you to intervene and restore the former peace. Do you accept your mission?

Nigel Bond: I accept.’

The World No. 1 was currently on track to be the first person to hold all Triple Crown titles since Stephen Hendry in the 90s; and it seemed that no one was going to stop him from achieving this feat. This was even stated by Hendry himself. If you’re reading this and can sense the tone, you probably already know what happened. But how did it happen?

At first glance, it seemed as if it was another day in the office for Judd Trump. He established a 3-1 lead against 54 year old British Open winner, Nigel Bond. Trump achieved breaks of 114 and 90 along the way. When Trump won that third frame, he probably didn’t expect that it would be the last frame he would win in this year’s UK Championship.

However, whatever Bond does in the mid-session interval should be a continuing event because once play resumed, he was firing on all cylinders, competing with Trump in the scrappy frames and safety exchanges. He then turned up another gear and extended his lead, matching Trump’s 114 break followed by an 85.

The last frame was both the longest and tensest, for both, players. On one hand, you have Bond, who is trying to close out a match that everyone probably discounted him from having any kind of chance of winning; and you have Trump, who is struggling to stay in the match and keep his hope of winning the UK title for a second time alive. This is probably more so for Bond, because he knows he is playing the best in the world and can’t let him have any kind of chance because the result could turn out different.

Despite Trump being in with a chance first, he couldn’t clear up and Bond accumulated enough points to stay in the frame. This included a magnificent pot close to the rail on the penultimate red by Bond, which was acknowledged by Trump and in my opinion, the best shot of the match. The real battle came on the colours and once it got to the pink, Bond was taking any chance of a pot he could to put away the match. Eventually, that chance did arrive and much like his long potting throughout the match, he sunk a beauty.

When fans are thinking about who could potentially beat Trump (or any top player, for that matter), they generally lean towards a young up-and-comer far down the rankings causing a major upset in a short format match. We should have really been looking at the veterans of the sport who have an abundance of experience, and could only be stopped by Hendry at the World Championships from 1993-96.

Trump was just simply having an off day. Normally, even when he is playing relatively poorly he can still get over the winning line but by his recent standards, he wasn’t in-form. His long potting was weak by a fair amount and this was probably the main contributor to his loss. At one point in the final frame his long pot stats were 29% compared with Bond’s 73%. Even his safety was comparatively looser than normal.

Although, it wasn’t all Trump’s fault. Bond was playing tremendously well; in both the potting and safety department. Using a terrific cue action he was able to produce some stellar pots during the match. I wouldn’t be surprised if his coaching inquiries go through the roof following this performance. Given this excellent performance, it wasn’t entirely smooth sailings for Bond. He had to scrap with Trump in many of the frames, which also contributed to Trump not being able to find any rhythm.

I don’t think the argument of Trump not having any bottle or choking when the pressure ramps up is something that can be said about him anymore, particularly after this match. If there’s anything that he has proven this season, it’s that he has no problem getting over a winning line; and that he relishes being No. 1. This has been proven by him in dominant fashion countless times in the past year, against the very best. His main focus now will be starting the New Year as strongly as he did this season.

As for Bond, he will now face either Joe Perry or Gary Wilson next; both players who have had incredible bouts with Trump not too long ago. Victory over the winner of these two players will accomplish Bond’s first quarter-final venture in the UK Championship since 2003. If he can reproduce the form he did against Trump, everyone else should stay alert. Hopefully this win will give Bond a new-found confidence that he won’t be going anywhere and can still give a match to anyone.