Mark Selby wins Paul Hunter Classic
Monday 29 August 2016 08:26, UK
Mark Selby won his first title of the season by beating Tom Ford 4-2 in the final of the Paul Hunter Classic in Germany.
Selby won the all-Leicester final to cement his position as world No 1 and collect his first trophy since winning the World Championship in May.
It is an eighth career ranking title for 33-year-old Selby, who earned the top prize of €25,000 (£21,369) at the tournament in Furth.
Selby failed to get beyond the last 32 of his first two events of the season but went all the way this time by winning seven consecutive matches.
In the final, he took the opening frame with a break of 85 then world No 40 Ford, who was aiming for his first ranking title, won the second. Frame three came down to the colours and Selby nicked it by potting pink and black.
Ford's run of 67 made it 2-2, but Selby regained the lead with a break of 72 before clinching victory in frame six with a run of 58.
"It's always great to win a tournament and I can take a lot of confidence from it," said Selby, who also won the Paul Hunter Classic in 2011 and 2012. "It wasn't a good final, Tom missed a few balls. But it's always a great tournament here in Germany with fantastic crowds."
Ford said: "I'm disappointed by the way I played in the final because I had been scoring heavily all week but it wasn't there today."
In the semi-finals, Ford beat Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 4-2 while Selby saw off Dominic Dale by the same scoreline.
Other highlights of the tournament included Thailand's Un-Nooh making a 147 on Saturday, the first maximum of his career and worth a £40,000 bonus, as well as veteran Jimmy White reaching the quarter-finals of a ranking event for the first time in 12 years before his run was ended by Dale.
