Ronnie O’Sullivan was comprehensively beaten by Mark Selby in the Players Championship quarter-finals; it is O’Sullivan’s first loss in 17 matches
Thursday 22 February 2024 21:55, UK
Ronnie O'Sullivan was beaten 6-0 by Mark Selby in the Players Championship quarter-finals in Telford.
It was a rapid victory for Selby, beating O'Sullivan in less than two hours to book his spot in the semi-finals.
Breaks of 65, 91, 81, 105 and 59 helped Selby in what was an outstanding performance, O'Sullivan unable to take any control in the contest.
The loss to Selby marks O'Sullivan's first loss in 17 matches and the first frame was a clear indication of how the match would unfold.
The seven-time world champion missed a red three times, even though he could fully see other reds.
Although in normal circumstances that would mean a loss of the frame, referee Desislava Bozhilova was supposed to warn the Rocket after two misses but forgot to.
The remainder of the encounter saw Selby with all the momentum, taking the big breaks and then wrapping up the win on a closer final frame.
"To beat Ronnie in any tournament is a great scoreline, to beat him in the way I did, I am very, very pleased. It was more or less faultless," Selby said on ITV4.
"It is a huge game and if you can't get up for matches like that, you might as well put your cue away.
"I felt confident I could win, because if you don't then more often than not the scoreline will be the other way.
"The biggest thing for me is that when I am not winning I try to tweak things, but the two performances I have put in here have proved to me that what I am doing now is what I need to carry on doing, whether I win or lose."
