Mark Selby won his first title of the season by beating Martin Gould 4-1 in the final of the Gdynia Open in Poland, the final event of the 2015/16 Kreativ Dental Clinic European Tour series.
Gould had been going for his second title of the month having won the German Masters three weeks ago, but he was outplayed in the final by world number one Selby, who captured the trophy and 25,000 Euro top prize.
Until now it had been a barren campaign for Leicester’s Selby, his best runs taking him to the semi-finals of the International Championship and UK Championship. Today’s victory gives him a shot of confidence going into the crucial last few months of the season.
There was a significant consolation for Gould as his run to the final earned him a place in next month’s Ladbrokes Players Championship.
Londoner Gould won the opening frame of the final before Selby hit back to win four in a row with breaks of 92, 69, 51 and 62.
“It’s nice to get a win under my belt,” said 2014 World Champion Selby. “I rode my luck a bit in this event, I should have lost to Luca Brecel in the last 32 when I was 3-0 down and came back to win 4-3. But it’s rare to have a tournament where you steam-roller everyone, when you win a title you often get through a match you should lose. I will go into the next event with a lot more confidence.”
The tournament was the final qualifying event for both the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix and the Ladbrokes Players Championship, two ranking events to take place in March.
Gould started the event in 73rd place on the Kreativ Dental Clinic European Order of Merit but his final run saw him leap into the top 24 and gain a place at the Ladbrokes Players Championship, which will take place at Event City in Manchester from March 22 to 27.
The line up (subject to entries) will comprise the top 24 from the European Order of Merit, plus two from the Asian Tour and six more from a combination of the two Order of Merits. Matthew Selt was the player squeezed out by Gould.
The Ladbrokes World Grand Prix runs from March 8 to 13 at Venue Cymru in Llandudno. The top 32 players on a ranking list running from the start of the season to the Gdynia Open have qualified. Stephen Maguire clung on to the 32nd and last spot throughout the event in Poland. Andrew Higginson could have knocked him out by winning the tournament but lost 4-2 in the semi-finals to Selby.
The full lists of players who have qualified for each event are below, and the draws will be announced shortly. Tickets for both events are ON SALE NOW – for details see http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
Ladbrokes World Grand Prix:
John Higgins
Neil Robertson
Kyren Wilson
Martin Gould
Liang Wenbo
Mark Allen
Mark Selby
David Gilbert
Judd Trump
Marco Fu
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Luca Brecel
Joe Perry
Shaun Murphy
Ben Woollaston
Matt Selt
Ryan Day
Ding Junhui
Michael White
Barry Hawkins
Ali Carter
Michael Holt
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Mark Williams
Stuart Bingham
David Grace
Graeme Dott
Tom Ford
Jamie Jones
Tian Pengfei
Peter Ebdon
Stephen Maguire
Ladbrokes Players Championship:
Barry Hawkins
Marco Fu
Mark Allen
Rory McLeod
Ali Carter
Shaun Murphy
Ding Junhui
Mark King
Ryan Day
Tom Ford
Michael White
Tian Pengfei
Mark Selby
Mark Williams
Ben Woollaston
Ricky Walden
Mike Dunn
Liang Wenbo
Martin Gould
Dominic Dale
Andrew Higginson
Michael Holt
Kyren Wilson
Judd Trump
Jimmy Robertson
Alan McManus
David Gilbert
Sam Baird
Luca Brecel
Graeme Dott
Robert Milkins
Mark Davis
The Gdynia Open was also vital for players battling to earn new World Snooker Tour cards if they finish the season outside the top 64 on the main ranking list. Malaysia’s Thor Chuan Leong secured his place with a run to the last 16 while Mitchell Mann, Scott Donaldson and Anthony Hamilton also won vital matches to earn spots in the current list of eight players:
Thor Chuan Leong
Ian Burns
Lee Walker
Mitchell Mann
Aditya Mehta
Scott Donaldson
Hammad Miah
Anthony Hamilton
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