Rotterdam Open: Mark Williams beats Mark Selby in final to end title drought
Mark Williams won his first title in over two years by defeating Mark Selby 4-3 in the final of the Rotterdam Open.
Last Updated: 21/07/13 10:23pm
The 38-year-old Welshman, a two-time world champion, was making a welcome return to form in the first professional tournament in the Netherlands for over 20 years.
World No 2 Selby led a high-quality final 2-1 with a top break of 136 before Williams took the next two frames with breaks of 51 and 67.
He had a chance for victory in frame six but missed a red to a top corner on 32 and Selby cleared with 77 to force the decider.
But Williams regrouped to compile a run of 65 which proved the winning break.
"Mark and Neil Robertson are the best two players in the world at the moment, so to beat one of them in a final is a great win for me," said Williams.
"When I arrived at this event I decided to go for everything and play as fast as I can. I was almost rushing at times but I wasn't going to stop, especially not in the final. I've won the tournament so it must have worked.
"The crowd and the arena in Rotterdam have made it one of the best European Tour events we've had. There were big crowds on both days over the weekend and that makes it easier to play well."
