Mark Selby crashes out to debutant Joe O'Connor at World Snooker Championship as upsets continue at Crucible - Eurosport

Last modified on April 22, 2024 at 5:30 pm UTC

"Surprises Abound Early In 2024 World Snooker Championship"

"O'Connor pulls off an upset against Selby with great composure, securing the biggest win of his career!"

Mark Selby failed to advance beyond the first round of the World Championship for the first time in three years, losing to newcomer Joe O'Connor in a memorable match at the iconic Crucible venue.

Selby, a player who has won the championship four times, demonstrated his strength by winning three out of the first four sets on Monday afternoon. However, after a break, O'Connor regained his composure and went on to win the game with a score of 10-6.

This implies that the contestants who reached last year's final both have been defeated in less than a week in Sheffield. The current titleholder, Luca Brecel, forfeited the last four rounds and lost by a score of 10-9 to David Gilbert on Saturday.

Selby needed to get off to a quick start on Monday, and he managed to achieve this with a fantastic 112 break. However, O'Connor quickly responded and managed to bring the score to 8-3.

Selby began to dominate and when he successfully potted a difficult black ball in the 12th frame, it seemed like the momentum was changing in his favor. Even though he got stuck with his following shot, he quickly regained his form and won another frame as part of his recovery attempt.

O'Connor appeared to have a promising opportunity to gain a significant advantage in the next frame but unfortunately failed to do so after scoring only 27 points. This opened up an opportunity for Selby, who skillfully scored 91 points to leave him just three frames behind his opponent at the interval.

Selby demonstrated his impressive skills when play resumed, successfully striking a shot that caused three balls to collide and separate the red balls, indicating his ability to make a strong comeback. However, due to his inadequate safety shot, he did not have an obvious choice of color, leaving the table open for O'Connor.

O'Connor entered the game and scored 57 points, causing Eurosport commentator Neal Foulds to worry about the player becoming tense. However, Selby made an error on his next shot, allowing O'Connor to come within one frame of winning, despite it being his first time playing.

At this pace, it seems like Selby will just be sitting among the spectators! He is being compelled to use an extraordinarily lengthy cue.

In the 16th frame of the game, he led the way by playing a clever shot even though the situation wasn't ideal, but then he made a mistake by accidentally hitting the cue ball into the pocket. This allowed O'Connor to take his turn, but the remaining red balls were spread out in a difficult pattern. Despite the challenge, O'Connor skillfully pocketed each of the red balls and positioned himself perfectly for the last one. With a magnificent shot, O'Connor managed to pot the black ball and it seemed like the game was over. However, things took an unexpected turn and there was one more exciting moment before the end.

O'Connor failed to hit the last red ball into the pocket by using the cushion. Selby responded by making a reckless shot. The less-favored player missed a chance to score another point, but Selby made a mistake and left the red ball available once more. Eventually, after three tries, O'Connor managed to successfully pot the ball and went on to clear the table before potting the black ball. This outstanding victory is one of O'Connor's greatest accomplishments. He will now face either Kyren Wilson or Dominic Dale in the next round.

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