Newly crowned Welsh Open champions Mark Selby shone a light on Stephen Maguire after beating him in Llandudno.
09:19, Mon, Feb 17, 2025 Updated: 09:19, Mon, Feb 17, 2025
Mark Selby paid Stephen Maguire major praise following their Welsh Open finale (Image: Getty)
Welsh Open champion Mark Selby has called it "a tragedy" that Stephen Maguire hasn't been more relevant in ranking finals for a number of years. 'On Fire' pushed his opponent close in Sunday's final and was level after 12 frames before falling victim to a late Selby surge.
The decider in north Wales was Maguire's first in a ranked tournament since he won the 2020 Tour Championship. And his opponent was as glad as anyone to see the Scot back competing for one of the elite prizes on the World Snooker Tour.
Selby, 41, lapped up his latest Welsh Open win and told Eurosport of the "great memories" he holds from this particular competition, which was his first ranking event. And he paid Maguire special praise after being pushed to the limit for the majorty of their showdown.
"He's a class act, isn't he? Obviously for him to be struggling as much as he has for so long and not being in the back-end of tournaments. . .just an absolute tragedy, really," said the champion. "It's great to see him back playing well [and] in the back-end of tournaments."
Selby lauded Maguire's 71 clearance to tie the match at six frames apiece just when 'The Jester from Leicester' threatened to break away. However, the momentum started moving in one particular direction after that.
After sailing into an early 2-0 lead, the last three frames were the only other time either player opened up a cushion of at least two. And Selby reiterated just how impressed he was by his opponent immediately after their clash.
"The thing about Stephen, it's great to see him back in finals again," he told Eurosport. "Four years is way too long. He's a class act, and I'm one of his biggest fans. So, Steve, great to see you back playing well again, mate."
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— Eurosport (@eurosport) February 16, 2025"I think my daughter could have potted that red I missed at 6-5" ??????
?????????????????????????????????????????? #WelshOpen Winner Mark Selby was quick to thank the crowd, respect his opponent and self-analyse his game as he went on to win his 24th Ranking Title!#WST | @WeAreWST pic.twitter.com/hWwcw4ZxJw
Maguire's wait for a ranking title goes on, although breaking his finals drought is a substantial step in putting an end to that rut. And his performances in Llandudno have reminded fans the Scot does indeed still belong at this level.
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Selby, meanwhile, is celebrating his second ranking title of the season - and there's still plenty of snooker to play. In fact, he stands a fine chance of tying his own career record by claiming three major tournaments in the same season for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign.
There's no rest for the wicked, either, as Selby noted he'll have just one day at home before flying to China for the 2025 World Open in Yushan. Judd Trump beat Ding Junhui in last year's final to lift the crown after a four-year hiatus, with Selby aiming to get his hands on the trophy for the first time.