Mark Selby to face Noppon Saengkham in China Open snooker final

The four-time World Champion defeated Stuart Bingham, 6-2, in the second semi-final of the £1.2 million tournament being held in Taiyuan.

Selby will face qualifier Noppon Saengkham in Sunday's two-session, best of 19 frames title contest after the world number 45 had earlier in the day ousted Zhou Yuelong to keep his fairy-tale run going in the Far East.

Using a new cue this season, and having dropped just five frames in three matches earlier in the week - including a 6-1 defeat of reigning champion Neil Robertson in the last eight - Selby took the opening frame of his semi-final before Bingham replied in style with a break of 130.

World number nine Selby - the only top 16 player to have reached the one-table set-up last four - nudged back in front with the aid of a 74, although 2015 World Champion Bingham levelled up proceedings heading into the mid-session interval.

On resumption, though, it was one-way traffic as Selby started a four-frame winning sequence with an effort of 102 in frame five, and finished it with a 72.

Selby going for China Open history

Selby is going for a record-breaking fourth China Open crown; he currently shares the feat with fellow three-time winner Mark Williams.

From Selby’s 25 ranking event accolades to date, seven have arrived in the Far East, although the last of those was at the 2018 China Championship.

Last December, Selby secured the 10th Triple Crown event title of his career when he defeated Judd Trump in the UK Championship final in York. That success saw him bank £250,000, and the 43-year-old will pocket the same amount if he denies Saengkham in Sunday’s final.

With several star names having exited the competition early on, Selby has pushed himself into contention to become snooker’s world number one later this month. If he wins the China Open title, and then the Wuhan Open prize later this month, he will climb to the top of the global standings for the first time since April 2022.

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