SUCCESS FOR MARK SELBY
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Mark Selby won the final three frames to claim his second ranking title with a 10-9 win over Mark Williams in the Shanghai Masters final.
Selby led 7-5 at one stage before Williams won four in a row to put him on the brink, but, with both players making errors, the Leicester cueman held his nerve.
It was a second ranking title to go along with the 2008 Welsh Open, while Selby will also take Williams' number one ranking as a result.
At 3-3, Williams made 51 but but was then snookered on the last red. He left a free ball and Selby cleared to take the lead and the Englishman went 5-3 up with a cool 95.
Selby looked set to take a three-frame cushion into the evening session until he missed an easy black on 45 in frame nine. Williams took advantage with a 67 clearance.
The pair traded frames after the resumption, Williams taking the 11th after a rerack.
Selby appeared to be in the driving seat when he went two clear at 7-5, but he was clearly feeling the pressure as errors allowed Williams in to claim the next two frames.
Scoring remained low as Williams won two more to go within one of the title, but Selby pulled one back to keep the match alive.
Williams was twice on course to win frame 18, but he missed the final red and then, after getting out of a snooker, the simplest of greens with the score at 60-60 to let Selby back in, and he duly cleared to pink to take it into a decider.
And the Welshman did not get a sniff in it after narrowly missing a long red, with Selby keeping his cool to claim the title.
Selby said: "It's a big relief to win my second ranking title because I'd lost a few finals.
"Every time I got to a final I came up against someone playing well. Tonight I wasn't at my best but the luck went my way.
"I played well in the first session and should have been 6-3 up. Tonight I struggled and made so many mistakes, but towards the end I got myself together again and Mark missed a few.
"It's a great feeling to be world number one, all I wanted to do was to get to the top of the sport. But I have to keep up the hard work because others will want to get ahead of me."
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