British snooker player, Mark Selby, produced an astonishing performance to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan by scripting one of the most dramatic comebacks in the history of world championships. Mark defeated Ronnie by a margin of 18-14 in an extraordinary finale. When the game ended the day before yesterday, Mark was in dire straits as he trailed behind his opposite number by a huge margin of 10 frames to five. No one would have expected Mark to make such a comeback and snatch an improbable victory from Ronnie.
The 30-year-old Mark was waiting for this moment for 14 long years. In his victory speech he mentioned what this win means for him as he recalled the time 14 years back when he turned a pro just a few months after the tragic death of his father. He dedicated his victory in the world championships to his late father whose last words to him was to win the world title.
This win for Mark was a hard fought one as his rival O’Sullivan was a proven champion as he had shown in the last five years in the world finals. In his last two victories at the Crucible, Ronnie took the lead each time coming into the final day and dominated his opponent till the end. However, this time history wasn’t repeated as Mark spoiled the party for Ronnie as well as his vocal fans. O’Sullivan though graciously accepted defeat and congratulated his opponent for his fine display of snooker skills.
The man from Leicester was tough when it mattered and raised the level of his game when it looked like Ronnie was making a comeback. The experts were comparing the game of Selby with how Chelsea played their match against Liverpool last weekend as he slowly but relentlessly foiled any chance of his opponent’s comeback.