{
  "id": 1303152,
  "title": "Selby defeats Saengkham to win fourth China Open",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/selby-defeats-saengkham-to-win-fourth-china-open",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-16T16:21:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Sport",
    "slug": "bbc-sport",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/articles/cpd77pl86wqo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mark Selby clinched his fourth China Open title by defeating Noppon Saengkham 10-6 in Taiyuan. The 43-year-old Selby, a four-time world champion, has now secured 26 ranking event victories. This triumph propelled him up the world rankings from ninth to fifth place. Selby expressed his satisfaction, stating, \"I m happy to be standing here as champion, I played some good stuff all week, somewhere near close to my best.\"\n\nThe English player, making his first ranking final in China for eight years, trailed 4-2 early in the match despite his impressive opening break of 138 in the third frame. However, Selby regained control by winning the final two frames of the first session to level the scores at 4-4. He continued his dominance in the subsequent session with breaks of 58, 90, 69, and 53, establishing a significant lead.\n\nDespite Saengkham's resilient response with a break of 71, Selby's superior form ultimately prevailed. The 14th frame proved decisive as Selby, equipped with a new cue for the first time in 20 years, sank two excellent snookers to secure the 16th frame and triumph. Selby pocketed a substantial £250,000 prize, while Saengkham had to content himself with the £100,000 awarded to the runner-up. Saengkham's strong performance at the tournament saw him climb 18 places in the world rankings, now standing at 27th. Selby credited his strong control and exceptional safety game for his victory. Saengkham expressed his determination, saying, \"When I was 4-2 up he was under pressure but in the evening the game changed and it looked like Mark was controlling everything. I will keep trying hard and hopefully one day I will be the champion.\"",
  "summary": "Mark Selby says he was \"somewhere close to his best\" as he claims his fourth China Open title with a 10-6 victory over Noppon Saengkham in Taiyuan.",
  "key_points": [
    "Mark Selby wins fourth China Open title, defeating Noppon Saengkham 10-6",
    "Selby, 43, now ranked 5th after securing 26 ranking event victories",
    "Selby's victory propels him up to 5th place in world rankings"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}