Selby beats O’Sullivan to win world snooker championship

Sheffield, May 6 (IANS) Mark Selby beat five-time world snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 18-14 to win the World Championship for the first time here.

Selby staged an astonishing fight-back Monday to win 13 of the last 17 frames after trailing 3-8, 5-10 in the first day's competition Sunday, reports Xinhua.

O'Sullivan, bidding for a third consecutive victory, crumbled under pressure and failed to hold on to his 10-7 overnight lead as Selby won five of the six frames in the third session.

The 30-year-old Selby won the last three frames and sealed victory with a stunning clearance. The win earned him a record 300,000 pounds of top prize and took him back to top of the world rankings.

Selby, who reached the final in 2007 when he lost to John Higgins, also completed a Grand Slam of UK Championship, the Masters and the World Championship and became only the ninth player in history to achieve this feat.