Mark Selby hits out at scheduling before facing fine for English Open concession

04/10/2023 13:48

Mark Selby was tired and frustrated with scheduling before defeat to Martin O’Donnell at the English Open, for which he faces a fine for an early concession.

The four-time world champion played the British Open final over two sessions on Sunday, losing out 10-7 to Mark Williams in Cheltenham before heading to Brentwood for the English Open.

Selby was due to play on Monday but his first round match was rescheduled for Tuesday afternoon, which he won to set up a second round meeting with Martin O’Donnell later on Tuesday evening.

World Snooker Tour described the 40-year-old having to play twice in the same day as ‘the best possible option in the circumstances’.

However, a visibly shattered Selby was beaten 4-2 by O’Donnell and conceded in the last frame after he missed a blue off the last red, despite not being at the snookers-required stage, which will result in a fine.

After beating Xing Zihao on Tuesday afternoon, the Jester from Leicester admitted he was struggling with fatigue after his exploits last week.

‘I feel alright, but tired, I know that,’ Selby told . ‘Long night the other night against Mark, obviously a tough final. Mentally and physically tiring.

‘They are long days concentrating and only having a day to turn around and come here to start again in the first round is quite tough. It felt flat out there, probably because I was more fatigued than anything else, but I felt flat.’

Following the conclusion of the English Open this coming Sunday, the Wuhan Open begins on Monday in China, which has concerned players who had hopes of doing well in Essex and having to be in Wuhan very shortly after.

While Selby’s defeat to O’Donnell means that is no longer an issue, he is not impressed with the scheduling of events and says it is inevitable that players will end up pulling out of tournaments in future.

‘I’m not moaning about too many tournaments, it’s just the scheduling,’ he said. ‘We were moaning when there weren’t enough tournaments and now there are obviously a lot, which is great. But it’s the scheduling.

‘You do well in one tournament and then you’re getting punished for the next. You get to the final here, at best they move your game in China to Tuesday night and you’re not going to get there till Tuesday day. Physically what chance have you got?