"I've never played snooker for the money" What Mark Selby said after his China Open win

The 43-year-old denied Noppon Saengkham his first ranking gold by defeating the qualifier 10-6 in Sunday's final in Taiyuan to collect the £250,000 first prize - the richest payday ever awarded at a Chinese snooker event.

The victory represents Selby's 26th career ranking title - putting him joint-seventh on the all-time list alongside Neil Robertson - and a record fourth China Open crown.

It was at the 2002 China Open when Selby made a big breakthrough, defeating Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan in consecutive rounds on his way to the semi-finals in Shanghai. He'd never previously been past the last 32 of a ranking tournament before.

And China has been a very fruitful place for Selby ever since; his latest success is the eighth ranking accolade he has collected from the country. No-one has won more than him in that category.

Confident Selby played some of his “best stuff”

During the off-season, Selby decided to change cues for the first time in 20 years, and the big decision is already paying off.

In Taiyuan, Selby produced some stunning snooker, eliminating fellow former World Champions Kyren Wilson, Neil Robertson, and Stuart Bingham in successive rounds, dropping only four frames in the process.

Speaking to the World Snooker Tour, Selby said how comfortable he was on the baize: "I felt like I've probably played some of my best stuff this week...somewhere close to my best.

"I felt confident out there. I felt like I was going to win the frame in one visit. Confidence is everything in this game, and I've felt like I've had that this week."

Selby praised his opponent, who pretty much froze him out during a spell in the first session, and said how he was "over the moon" to win the final two frames of the afternoon and draw level at 4-4.

A few hours later in the concluding session, a positive Selby completed a mini-session whitewash with breaks of 58, 90, 69 and 52 to take control at 8-4 up.

World number 45 Saengkham showed heart and resilience after the final mid-session interval to briefly rally, but Selby ended up winning the contest with frames to spare.

On adopting a positive approach, the Englishman said: "Yeah, well that's what happens when you're confident. Obviously, you look at the shots and you fancy getting them, so you have a go.

"It's been good this week, I found some good rhythm, played at a nice tempo when I've got my chances, and hopefully I can continue doing that."

Selby wants to continuing riding the crest of a wave

Selby now currently holds four professional titles - the Champion of Champions, UK Championship, Championship League Invitational, and China Open.

The latest world rankings have him rising four places to fifth, and with several top players having gone out early in Taiyuan - Selby was the only top 16 seed to make the last four - he would go top of the global standings if he wins the Wuhan Open crown in a couple of weekends time. He was last at the summit in April 2022.

Getting such a big title so early in the season also means that he probably won't need to worry about qualification for any of the three Players Series competitions later in the term; the only way to earn invites to those is via the one-year ranking list.

But Selby's primary focus is keeping in this grove of form for the upcoming events, of which there are three inside the next month.

Looking ahead to the rest of the campaign, the Leicester cueman explained: "Just to try and carry on this momentum. Take it through to next week in Wuhan, hopefully just carry on playing the same and keep on winning matches.

"I know you say I'm in all the tournaments now which is great, but while you're having this form and you're sort of riding the crest of a wave as such, you want to try and keep that momentum as much as possible."

Selby “grew up with nothing”, not preoccupied about prize money

Throughout his top-flight career, Selby has amassed over £9.5 million in prize money.

The quarter-of-a-million he pockets for this success is one of his biggest individual paydays but Selby - who dedicated his victory to a friend who has recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness - insists that playing and winning are his main interests, not the monetary rewards.

A humble Selby - who grew up on a council estate - was asked whether he would splash out on anything with his latest winnings. He replied: "No, not at all. I mean I've never once played snooker for the money.

"I grew up with nothing, so, obviously anything I get is a bonus. I just carry on playing as long as I'm enjoying the game, that's the main thing, and you've got your health."

Next up in Selby's diary is the 2026 Wuhan Open where he faces Fan Zhengyi in the round of 64 on Monday 24th August.

To view the full draw, results, schedule, and other information from the 2026 China Open snooker, visit our tournament information centre here.