Holder Selby beats Williams to reach British Open semis

Mark Selby, the reigning champion, defeated world number five Mark Williams in a topsy-turvy match to reach the British Open semi-finals.

Before Williams turned the tables with three of his own, the world number 10 had a lead in the opening two frames.

However, Selby, who has four-time world champions, responded with a break of 106 and won 5-3 over the following two frames.

The 42-year-old will face world number 16 Shaun Murphy in the semi-finals, hoping to win the title and become the first player to successfully defend the British Open title.

Prior to the 2021 Northern Ireland Open, World No. 91 Mann only had the opportunity to play in the quarter-finals of a ranking match.

After the Englishman took the first two frames with ease, world number 88 Louis Heathcote made four-time world champion John Higgins sweat.

However, Heathcote added just 39 more points after Higgins started winning five straight frames, including 135 break, to win 5-2.

After coming back from 3-1 down to beat 19-year-old Stan Moody, who had defeated Ali Carter in the previous round, Higgins will face fellow Scotsman Anthony McGill in the semi-finals.

Since the 2022 Northern Ireland Open, McGill hasn’t participated in any of the final four rankings.

The best of the 11 frames will be in the semi-finals on Saturday (first to six), while the best frame will be in the final on Sunday (first to ten) on Sunday.