Mark Selby Claims Fourth China Open Crown With Commanding Final Victory Over Noppon Saengkham

Selby Dominates to Secure Historic Fourth China Open Title

Mark Selby added a fourth China Open title to his already-decorated career on Sunday, defeating Thailand's Noppon Saengkham 10-6 in the final held in Taiyuan. The result confirmed Selby's extraordinary affinity with the event, which returned to the World Snooker Tour calendar in 2026 for the first time since 2019, when it was suspended following the COVID-19 pandemic. The top prize of £250,000 accompanies what is arguably one of the most statistically dominant individual performances the tournament has ever witnessed from a single player across multiple editions.

A Tournament Record That Stands Alone

Selby's previous China Open victories came in 2015, 2017, and 2018 — a sequence that demonstrated a remarkable consistency at the event during its original run. No other player in the modern era can claim four titles at the China Open, making this latest triumph a landmark achievement in the 41-year-old's career. Despite the tournament relocating from its traditional Beijing home to Taiyuan for this edition, the change of scenery appeared to have little effect on the Leicester man's comfort levels.

His route to the final was equally impressive. After opening with a 6-3 defeat of Pang Junxu, Selby conceded just four frames across his next three matches. Back-to-back 6-1 victories over former world champions Kyren Wilson and Neil Robertson — two of the most decorated players on the circuit — were followed by a composed 6-2 semi-final win against Stuart Bingham. In total, Selby dropped only eight frames across five matches, a conversion rate that underlines how completely he dominated the draw (data via CueTracker).

Saengkham's Giant-Killing Run Comes to an End

For Noppon Saengkham, Sunday's final represented the culmination of a remarkable week in which the 34-year-old had dispatched world number one Judd Trump, snooker's all-time highest century-maker Ronnie O'Sullivan, and Crucible finalist Shaun Murphy. Each of those victories generated considerable attention, and Saengkham arrived at the final with a genuine sense of momentum — even if a cagey semi-final win over Zhou Yuelong, eventually secured via a stunning 134 clearance in the deciding frame, had not been entirely convincing.

The opening session hinted that an upset might be on the cards. Saengkham capitalised on an uncharacteristically slow start from Selby, with the Thai producing a high-quality 138 break among his contributions to move into a 4-2 lead. At that point, the contest appeared finely balanced, and Saengkham had every reason for confidence.

Controversial Seventh Frame Proves the Turning Point

The match's decisive moment arrived in the seventh frame, in circumstances that will be discussed for some time. A disputed foul call against Saengkham created a brief but significant impasse between the players and the referee. Though the Thai composed himself sufficiently to pot the blue and pink, he then missed the frame-ball black — an uncharacteristic error that allowed Selby back to the table. Selby duly converted to claim the frame on the final black, and the psychological shift was immediate. He followed up by winning the eighth frame to level at 4-4 heading into the mid-session interval.

Experience Tells as Selby Pulls Clear in the Evening Session

When the players returned for the evening session, Selby's experience — accumulated across four world titles and decades of elite competition — proved decisive. He steadily tightened his grip on proceedings, pulling away to eventually seal the title 10-6. Saengkham, to his credit, had produced moments of genuine quality throughout the week, and his performances against the world's elite will have done his ranking and reputation considerable good. However, facing a player of Selby's calibre in full flow, and without any significant error in the closing stages from the favourite, proved beyond him on this occasion.

Where This Ranks in Selby's Career

With four China Open titles now to his name, Selby continues to add to one of the most substantial ranking-event hauls in the sport's history. His four world titles at the Crucible remain the headline achievement, but his consistency across multiple ranking events over more than a decade places him firmly in elite company. The China Open's return to the calendar after a six-year absence has provided Selby with an opportunity to extend records that may prove difficult for future generations to match. On this evidence, questions about the longevity of his form appear premature.