Welsh Open 2025: Mark Selby wins late-night thriller against Elliot Slessor on day three in Llandudno
By Alex Livie
Updated 13/02/2025 at 08:30 GMT
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Day three of the Welsh Open saw a number of shocks, with Mark Allen, Mark Williams and world champion Kyren Wilson crashing out in Llandudno. Mark Selby avoided a similar fate, but was pushed hard by Elliot Slessor in a match which finished after 1am. Watch and stream top snooker action, including the Welsh Open, live and on demand on Eurosport and discovery+.
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Mark Selby fought back to claim a late-night 4-3 win over Elliot Slessor at the Welsh Open.
A raft of big names tumbled out on Wednesday, with Mark Williams, Mark Allen, Neil Robertson and world champion Kyren Wilson all toppled.
Selby’s match began on Wednesday evening, but finished in the early hours of Thursday in Llandudno.
A few hardy souls stayed until the bitter end, and saw Selby win the final two frames to advance to the last 16.
After the opening couple of frames were traded, those inside Venue Cymru realised they would be in for a late night when Slessor took a third frame which had lasted over an hour.
Selby produced a fluent break of 67 to take the fourth, but Slessor responded with an excellent knock of 91 to move in front.
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The ability to dig in has long been a stellar trait of Selby’s, and he took the sixth with a run of 53 to force a decider.
Both players had chances in the decider, and the telling moment came when a Selby safety drew an error from Slessor.
And as the clock ticked past 1am, Selby crafted an excellent break of 70 to set up a last-16 clash with Jamie Jones.
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Luca Brecel has been showing bright signs and he claimed a 4-2 win over Noppon Saengkham.
The contest tipped in Brecel’s favour when he won the fifth frame despite needing two snookers, and he closed out the contest in style with a break of 108.
Jack Lisowski's impressive run of form in North Wales continued as he rolled in two centuries in a 4-1 win over Chris Wakelin.
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Watch and stream top snooker action, including the Welsh Open, live and on demand on Eurosport and discovery+
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