Mark Selby faced a tough challenge from Yuan Sijun in round three of the 2024 British Open, where he managed to secure a narrow 4-3 victory. Despite taking an early 2-0 lead, Selby found himself pushed to the limit by his opponent in a nail-biting encounter.

“Yuan got off to an excellent start, expertly potting a long-range red, but Selby responded with an equally classy run,” said one spectator.

The world No. 5 continued to display his skill by potting several loose balls, ultimately forcing Yuan to concede the opening frame with a score of 68-25. However, Yuan didn’t back down and made a valiant effort to level the match.

Selby made a break of 27 in the second frame but allowed Yuan to gain momentum with some sloppy shots. Despite taking a lead, Yuan’s poor positioning of the white ball gave Selby an opening to seize the frame, doubling his advantage at 70-58.

As the match progressed, Selby maintained his lead by taking a 21-9 advantage in the third frame. But Yuan fought back with a superb break of 72, narrowing the gap to 2-1.

“A poor break allowed Selby to take a 36-0 lead in the fourth frame, but Yuan forced his way back and was on the verge of winning at 54-36,” remarked a snooker analyst.

Despite Yuan’s resilience, Selby turned up the pressure and regained the lead with a break of 72 in the fifth frame. The match remained closely contested until the final frame, where Selby capitalized on key opportunities to emerge victorious with a 4-3 scoreline.

In other matches of the evening, Jak Jones defeated Julian Boiko 4-1, Stan Moody overcame Zhang Anda 4-3, and Lyu Haotian secured a win against Haris Tahir.

The thrilling snooker action can be streamed live and on-demand on discovery+.