Selby retains title in Germany
World no.1 defeats Swail 4-1 in final in Germany
Last Updated: August 27, 2012 11:11am
Mark Selby: Back in the winners' circle
World no.1 Mark Selby retained his Arcaden Paul Hunter Classic title by beating Joe Swail in the final.
Selby's 4-1 victory brought him his first title in 11 months in Furth, Germany.
It was nearly a fairytale finish for veteran Swail, who reached the semi-finals of the World Championship back in 2000 and 2001 but dropped off the main tour at the end of last season after 22 years as a professional. Competing as an amateur, the Ulsterman beat the likes of Shaun Murphy and Barry Hawkins to reach the final, before being denied the trophy by Selby.
In the final of the Players Tour Championship event, two-time Masters champion Selby went 3-0 up with top breaks of 56, 64 and 43. Swail, now 42, pulled one back with an 83 before Selby closed out victory in frame five with an 85.
Selby suffered from a neck injury at the end of last season but is now fully recovered.
Confidence
He said: "I've been struggling for a while with the injury and my game so it's great to win another title.
"I didn't make many mistakes in the final and that gives me a lot of confidence going into the rest of the season. And it's good to be guaranteed a place in the PTC Grand Finals already."
Earlier in the semi-finals, Selby ended the impressive run of India's Pankaj Advani by a 4-2 scoreline, while Swail edged out Barry Hawkins 4-3 with a double on the final black to resolve a dramatic deciding frame.
The next PTC event takes place in Gloucester from September 5-9.
