Mark Selby praised John Higgins after the final (Image: Getty)
showed his class by heaping praise on following his victory over the Scot in the British Open final.
The 41-year-old secured the win, and £100,000 jackpot, with a 10-5 success to make amends for his defeat in last year’s final.
Higgins did not go down without a fight but was unable to stay within touching distance of his rival in the evening session, with Selby pulling clear after the tenth frame to win the British Open for the first time in his career.
Speaking after the success, Selby was full of praise for Higgins and spoke of how he ‘relished’ the chance to play someone with such a legacy in snooker.
He explained: “Winning any tournament nowadays is special because the standard is so tough. To beat John in a final I knew I had to play the top of my game and I did.
“When I had my chances I took them. I’ve got so much respect for John. He’s one of the all-time greats. I relish the moment playing him because he’s an absolute legend.
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John Higgins was frustrated with his performance in the final session (Image: Getty)
“I dug in this week. There were a couple of games where it was tough. There are always matches you manage to scrape through and I’ve managed to do that.”
The defeat means that Higgins will be forced to wait to become the most successful player in the history of the tournament following his four prior successes. He conceded that Selby was the better player on the night.
Mark Selby impressed during the evening session to secure the win (Image: Getty)
He said: “Mark was too good. He put on a clinic tonight. It’s been an amazing run. I was just disappointed. The tenth frame I had the balls at my mercy to make it 5-5.
“There are certain points in matches and that’s when I gave it away. Mark got stronger and stronger. He’s Mark Selby. That’s what he does. I’ve loved being in a final again. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
“I’m just a bit disappointed with the final session because I didn’t bring anywhere near a good enough game to compete with Mark. I’m proud I’m still trying to compete with these guys. You’ve got to bring a higher level to win finals and I don’t know if I’ve got it.”