Welsh Open 2023: Mark Selby avoids upset by claiming decider against Si Jiahui in late-night showdown

Mark Selby avoided an upset as he overcame Si Jiahui on a decider to advance to the third round of the Welsh Open following a late-night showdown in Llandudno. On a day of shocks with the departures of Neil Robertson and Mark Williams, four-time world champion Selby was made to dig deep to emerge a 4-3 victor against the 87th-ranked Si in a match that didn’t finish until after 1am GMT.

Ad In the end, 'The Jester' got over the line with four breaks over 50, including a century, and he will now meet the in-form Robert Milkins on Wednesday night. The MastersVafaei foul leaves ref in ball-replacement pickle in Masters clash with Selby08/01/2023 AT 20:33 The contest didn’t get under way until after 10pm, so it was no surprise that both players, at times, struggled for consistency and showed signs of tiredness, particularly early on.

Si, when leading by 47 points in the first frame, missed a simple blue to the middle pocket, a moment which Neal Foulds said handed the frame to Selby on a plate, and indeed, he took full advantage, making a clearance of 56 to take the opener. The 20-year-old bounced back immediately, even if he did make hard work of it by missing a pink when leading by 23 points.

A safety exchange followed but, despite Selby’s best efforts, Si came out on top to edge a scrappy frame that exceeded 45 minutes. Jak Jones stuns Mark Williams with tense victory on a decider Mark Williams believes lifestyle changes required to improve form following Welsh Open exit Initially, the setback didn’t look like fazing Selby as he embarked on what looked to be an excellent break.

But rather uncharacteristically — and just like Si in the first frame — he failed to convert what seemed an easy blue. As the clock struck midnight,